After the storm, a ray of sunshine

Anyone involved in the horticultural industry knows it can be a tough business. Soft fruit production is highly competitive, there are so many elements outside your control that can go wrong. Well-Pict Portugal (formally AMS Portugal) has suffered over the last 12 months, but with a little help she is definitely back on track. The site is located on the west coast, in the Alenteja region of Portugal. Acquired some 6 years ago, it has taken longer than expected to turn the farm into a flagship site for Iberian production. There is still a way to go, but momentum has picked up over the last 6 months and the farm has been transformed.

Over the last few seasons some of the production blocks had produced some very poor yields and quality, the WPE technical team discovered a few of the feed and irrigation systems needed to be altered, and now the farm can look forward to getting the best out of every part on the site.

As with all strawberry production labour is the hardest to find, but the new team now in charge of the farm have forged good relationships with labour suppliers and agencies and hope that next season pickers will be less trouble to find than last year. Fruitful Jobs also expects to put some backpackers into the site.

This new found lease of life to the farm has been caused by the introduction of a new team, at the start of this year the previous management was replaced with a contingent from WPE Ltd in the UK. Garry Mercer has taken on the overall management of the farm with Sofia Rosendo assuming a commercial role. The WPE technical team are also on hand to assist in anyway.

The farm has been provided with all the necessary steps it needs to take in order to reach EUREP GAP accreditation; most importantly these are actively being implemented under the guidance of Garry Mercer and the WPE Technical team from the UK.

Arriving at the start of a season was never going to be the best time for radical change, but so far improvements have been exponential. The remaining Portuguese team has been revitalised under the prospect of new management, and the opportunity to speak their mind and make suggestions has only improved their performance. The production this year was delayed due to weather conditions, but that did not affect the quality in any way. The farm continued to produce good quality fruit until the end of June. Sales were extended in 2003 to Holland and the customer base in France was also expanded. The farm also produced some of the best fruit arriving at the WPE packhouse in Evesham during the winter months.

The site has been trailing several new varieties in 2003, PS 592 proved to be the best commercial choice, but the team are keen to maintain their strong belief in finding the best varieties and growing systems to ensure the best possible profit per acre. New production plans have been drawn up for 2004, the overall number of production blocks will be decreased but the output on this reduced area will produce a higher volume of fruit, increasing the profitability of the site. The farm is now doing its’s own marketing and hopes to be in a position to procure more products for Well-Pict European in the future.