The horticulturists of the Pyrénées-Orientales are speaking out and are meeting this Tuesday afternoon at the prefecture to talk about a subject now permanently on the prefect's desk: water.
“We are taking the lead so as not to find ourselves in the same catastrophic situation as last year when the ban on watering caused us to lose 40% of our turnover,” explains Daniel Geoffroy, horticulturist-nursery specialist in Céret , who took the helm of CHOC for Collectif Horticulture Ornementale Catalane, affiliated with FDSEA 66.
There are around twenty professionals in the department who regret not having been invited to the discussions of the water committee last week.
In the nurseries, the cuttings and seedlings are ready to be replanted to launch production but placed on standby while awaiting responses from the prefect.
“Last year, we were forced to throw away the plants we had planted or cultivate them until September without finally finding buyers.
Some progress after the meeting
With the ban on watering, customers did not dare to buy, public authorities canceled their orders.”
However, the Catalan horticultural sector knows its work, insists Daniel Geoffroy, recalling that they have always worked with varieties adapted to the southern climate.
“We know how to cultivate with resilience, even with just 20% of the usual water resource, by watering two to three times a week,” he continues, also keen to educate his customers.
Before the prefect, the professionals will also plead for a different regime than that applied to the market gardeners with whom they are affiliated but whose levels of water consumption are different.
“We also want the losses suffered by the profession last year to be taken into account in the financial aid envelope,” adds Daniel Geoffroy.
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At the end of the meeting with the prefect, the collective obtained some answers, in particular authorization to water their vegetable garden, in consultation with the municipality which must ensure that the balance of water resources between the different users is managed. .
Another authorization obtained: watering anything shrubby on condition of mulching the soil.
Individuals are authorized to water their planter using recovered water (cold shower water, water from the vegetable drawer, etc.).
Cemetery taps will also remain open.
FDSEA 66 is invited to request an emergency plan for the cash flow of affected companies in 2023.