Αναμενόμενα αποτελέσματα

The cultivation of lupine could largely cover the needs of our country in protein feed and lead to a reduction in the use of imported soybeans, which, apart from being genetically modified to a very large extent, also contributes negatively to the import balance- exports after spending on its import close to 300 million dollars. The arable land with forage legumes such as lupine at the European level, unfortunately from 4.7% of the arable land they occupied in 1961, has decreased today to around 2%, although the needs of ruminant animals in protein feed of plant origin have increased significantly. In recent years the cultivation of livestock legumes shows a small increase, which is unable to meet the needs of domestic livestock farming. The cultivation of lupine in our country must be a top priority, since the advantages of this cultivation are multiple.

The seeds of lupin have high nutritional value, as they are rich in protein and fiber and contain approximately the same amount of lysine as soy flour. Their cultivation presents significant environmental benefits, as it usually does not require specific fertilization or irrigation since cultivation is in the autumn, enriching soils with nitrogen and simultaneously significantly improving soil fertility. Lupin cultivation, in areas where winter cereals are usually grown, presents increased economic benefits because it has relatively low production costs and almost double the selling price compared to cereal grains.

It can be cultivated in problematic areas of our country, that is, in mountainous, semi-mountainous and island areas, where usually the soils are less fertile and where there is a lack of irrigable water and contribute dynamically to the increase of agricultural income in these areas. Domestic forage legumes can still contribute to the further promotion of organic livestock farming and increase the production of organic livestock products.