This Fresh Produce Forum session asked how organisations in the sector could best position themselves in the face of water supply challenges
Water was the topic of discussion during a Fresh Produce Forum session on the opening day of Fruit Logistica.
With guaranteed supplies of water becoming a serious problem in many parts of the world, the issue of how organisations in the sector could best position themselves was up for debate.
Speaker Rudolf Behr, chairman of the board at Behr AG in Germany, opened by looking at population growth and how the need for water had changed as technology developed.
He also said it was important to not define water as being ‘consumed’ but utilised, given it was part of the ongoing water cycle.
“Industrial water, or other forms of utilised water could, once they are purified, be used in agriculture, promoting plant growth,” he explained.
”We’re talking about nutrients in the soil that we cannot use properly because there is a lack of water,” Behr continued.
“In Magdeburg for example we have excellent soil, and if we had the right amount of water at the right time we would have much higher yields from that same soil,” he noted. ”But given there is a shortage of water in April and May, that is not possible.”
Turning to Behr AG’s operations in Spain, Behr highlighted some of the technology used to maximise water use in production, including drilling, desalination systems and the use of reservoirs for rainwater collection.
Much of the excess water still ran off, he said, and this must be minimised.
Behr also questioned the ”askew political message” that the agriculture business should reduce water use – especially while the water use of households was often forgotten about by comparison.
”The plant is the origin of life, and if water is missing we need to ensure that it does not just run off into the sea, it must be recirculated out of industrial process and households to nourish those plants,” he said.
