Nispero nemesis

Linda Hall

WHEN some Costa Blanca areas were still rural, families with a terrace or two of nispero trees looked forward to the extra income they promised once spring arrived.

Nisperos are an annual crop but the trees need a lot of year ­ round love and attention, requiring pruning, fumigating, irrigating and composting which cost time and money. That was why small ­ scale growers would get their earliest nisperos picked and packed as soon as possible, to get the best prices.

Everyone pitched in, from greatgrandparents to the youngest child who could be trusted to handle the fruit with care but that was decades ago. Except for the elderly smallholders themselves, most people now have more pressing concerns that have nothing to do with the land. Nor do parents want their children to miss school during the nispero season.

What happens when no­one lends a hand? If you belong to a co­operative, people can come along and do it for