Grupo Fico was established in 2001 as a cooperative with 3 partners from the Futerra company, a pioneer in Almeria in the sale and advice of hydroponic crops with coconut fiber. Grupo Fico has accompanied the international expansion of hydroponics with coconut fibre for over two decades. This fiber displaced the materials originally used in hydroponic agriculture, including rockwool and perlite, thanks to its unique natural physical and chemical properties. Coconut fibre is the leading base of hydroponic crops today.
"During the 2000s, hydroponics experienced a boom in southeast Spain, driven by good tomato prices. However, the economic crisis of 2008 and the rising cost of inputs slowed down the development of new facilities," stated Antonio Alba, Technical Director and partner of Grupo Fico. "That's when coconut fiber began to gain ground due to its agronomic advantages and more affordable price."
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"Curiously, hydroponics grew comparatively less in Spain than in other agricultural areas where it is now an important cultivation technique. However, large medium-technology to high-technology farms are opting to use coconut fibre cultivation bags, thanks to their volume variability and the versatility of the coconut and chip mixtures, which can be used to practically make substrates à la carte for the end customer. The trellising technique is what has had a great expansion in recent years, especially in medium-low technology farms."
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The development, patenting, and registration of the trellising system, a semi-hydroponic model that consists of placing plastic-free coconut fibre slabs directly on the soil, has been one of Grupo Fico's greatest technical achievements.
"The system offers the best of both worlds: the safety and water buffer of soil cultivation, and the efficiency of hydroponic substrate. Rooting is much better than in soil, due to the uniformity of the substrate, and the plants have a better reaction to sudden changes in temperature or even to any eventuality, such as a power outage, that affects normal irrigation," Antonio stated.
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"Currently, the company's biostimulants division accounts for a larger international volume than its coconut fiber"
In 2012, Grupo Fico diversified its portfolio, building a biostimulants and biotechnological products manufacturing plant in Almeria, under the Ficonutrientes brand. "This division has had remarkable growth, to the point that it currently accounts for a greater international volume than coconut fiber."
"We are focused on developing 100% organic products that stimulate the plants' immune system of plants. We want them to defend themselves, without relying so much on chemicals that must be increasingly gentle and compatible with biological control," the Technical Director stated. "Creating products that control pests without affecting beneficial organisms is our biggest challenge."
"Our most outstanding developments include biostimulant lines, metabolic activators, vegetable toners, and functional fertilizers. However, we want to continue working on new formulations to offer the widest range of biosolutions possible to farmers. To this end, we have recently incorporated a doctor in chemistry and will open our own technical laboratory before the end of the year. Our goal is to continue developing specific formulations for each problem."
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"We are specialists in producing in hot climates and under adverse conditions"
Grupo Fico has built up a solid international distribution network since it started exporting to Mexico in 2005. Today the company is active in Central America (Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras), South America (Colombia, Uruguay, and Chile), North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt), the Middle East (Jordan, United Arab Emirates, and Iran), and Europe (Italy, and Portugal).
"Chile, in particular, has positioned itself as a major market for us thanks to the hydroponic blueberry cultivation boom, which has increased demand for coconut fibre. Meanwhile, Egypt has established itself as the main international market for our line of biostimulants."
"We're proud of how far we've come and know that it's been thanks to the great knowledge and development in cultivation techniques that we, and the companies in southeastern Spain, have achieved. We know how to work in hot climates with waters with high levels of chlorine and sodium better than anyone. Our experience makes us specialists in producing under adverse conditions. It's something that other technologies, which are also benchmarks in the horticultural sector, such as the Dutch, can't always replicate."
"Using our technology, growers can achieve the highest yields in any crop, under any adverse condition, with much lower costs, and optimize resources to the maximum, especially in regions with hot climates, where fruit and vegetable production is concentrated nowadays."
© Grupo FicoFor more information:
Grupo Fico
C/ Oviedo, 32, Pol. Ind. La Algaida, 04740 Roquetas de Mar, Almería
Tel.: +34 950 558 093
Email: [email protected]
https://grupofico.com
