“We are making history Being a farmer in Portugal already gives prestige.” – Daily News – Lisbon

The arrival of young graduates is revolutionizing agriculture – new techniques, new products. And exports to grow

“In the next ten years will be a big change. There will be a revolution in Portuguese agriculture,” assures Jaime Ferreira, president of Agrobio. Today, more than half of Portuguese farmers (132,000) have more than 65 years and only 70% have completed primary education; but is to appear a whole new generation that is creating startups and venture into new agricultural products, focusing on exports, on a scale never imagined.

The new farmers have more education are more informed, they are more dynamic. And can take full advantage of new technologies and the opening of markets, recognizes Jaime Ferreira. And the changes are already visible. “Today, with fewer people, produces more,” said Luís Mira, secretary general of the Confederation of Portuguese Farmers (CAP). “When the country joined the EEC [1986], the active population in agriculture was 25%, now 5%,” he recalls. And agricultural production reached last year, 6.84 billion, the highest value ever

Capoulas Santos, the new Minister of Agriculture, has already set an ambitious goal:. “Keep agricultural sector to grow at a rate twice the rest of the economy. “

And how to get here? Capoulas Santos attributed the change in agriculture to “the European integration process that took place 30 years ago”, which led to the creation of infrastructure, plantations and other new equipment. But the cornerstone of this transformation was the training, the minister argues. “A simple tractor became a wheeled computer, which requires more qualifications,” says Luis Mira. “Today, there is more respect for the environment, less tillage and the sophisticated use of irrigation.” On this last point, highlighting the Israelites drop system inventors the drop, which are already applied in Portugal a version buried in the ground, with higher gains.

The new farmers have a “business approach” with benefits in terms of risk reduction, ensures the secretary general of the CAP. Joseph Martino, agricultural consultant, agrees: “The farmer wants to be more and more an agricultural entrepreneur.” And the results do not lie. “Farmers with more profits are those who sell the processed product, ie, they can add value,” adds Luis Mira.

In Portugal, the Company Lezírias, a company controlled by state holding Parpública, it is the largest agricultural exploitation and existing forest – are 18 000 hectares which produces rice, corn, wine, olive oil and cork and raises cattle and horses. But to meet the requirements of consumers and new markets, the challenge to create new products acquired emergency status and cooperation with universities multiplied. graduates are now venturing into the world of agriculture, with new ideas and new techniques. From organic farming to exotic fruits. And joining forces. “It takes synergies to gain scale, but will always be small,” says Peter Braganza, a computer engineer who launched, with other partners, in the creation of red fruit, whose production can be controlled from a mobile phone, with technology developed in Portugal.

“Portugal origin, such as taste, quality and food safety” in the words of Joseph Martino, is to impose itself on foreign markets, with the help of Portugal Foods in food processing, and Portugal Fresh, for fruits, vegetables and flowers

Manuel Évora, president of Portugal Fresh, assumes that in five years there has been a huge change:. “in 2010, when the association was established, Portugal exported 62 % of the value of that mattered, and in October 2015, that figure rose to 97%. ” In 2014, exports totaled 1100 million euros. The goal is to double that amount to two billion euros in 2020.

In the process of European integration, Capoulas Santos acknowledges having been a “very strong structural adjustment” that “caused a change in the profile of our agriculture “. This change has resulted, according to relates, “the great growth of some sectors that have gained export vocation”, pointing as an example “the wine, olive oil, milk or fruit and vegetables.” And admits that “the future is the strengthening of this commitment.”

Sovena, chaired by António Simões, for example, is the second largest producer of oil in the world, with ten thousand hectares of olive groves and ten million olive trees. Exports 80% of production to more than 80 countries. Sogrape, Salvador Guedes, is another example of success:. Exports 70% of its wines to over 120 countries and is considered the best wine of the world production in 2015

The truth is that “we are make history – says Joseph Martino -., be a farmer in Portugal already gives prestige “