In Switzerland, there is a significant undersupply of organic table strawberries on the market before and after the main harvest season, which lasts on average from mid-May to mid-June. To close this gap, Coop is planning to increase the supply of Swiss organic table strawberries after the main season until the end of July. This will require additional acreage to achieve the desired quantities. The current production of organic table strawberries in Switzerland is mainly based on the cultivation of potted plants, which are planted in July/August and harvested from mid-May to mid-June. To enable a later harvest from mid-June, alternative cultivation methods are required, but these still have limited experience in organic cultivation and are subject to additional risks from plant protection problems and weather influences such as heat and hail.
The aim of this project is therefore to establish extensive production of organic table strawberries for later marketing by Coop from mid-June. Suitable cultivation methods will first be identified through an analysis of the current situation and tested on pilot farms in order to achieve the desired goals. Based on this experience, large-scale cultivation will then be promoted.
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