The president of Anecoop, Juan Safont, said that "in addition to demonstrating its financial resilience in a context of recession, Anecoop has managed to continue growing steadily. Agricultural cooperatives have proven to be one of Spain's economic engines, constantly adapting to every moment's challenges through internationalisation, innovation and a commitment to quality." According to Juan Safont, "the record-breaking results obtained last season were possible thanks to the cooperation and participation of the associated cooperatives in Anecoop's social and economic activities."
Anecoop's general director, Joan Mir, talked about the new 2013-2018 Integration Plan, as well as the Group's expansion plans. "We have great expectations for our Integration Plan, as we are convinced that it will contribute to improve Anecoop and its subsidiaries and associates."
The 2013-2018 Integration Plan anticipates a 4% annual growth during the next five years. It rests on four pillars: firstly, the associates, for whom greater integration and better liquidations are pursued. Secondly, regarding management, a business model has been developed which is more integrated with production and markets, consolidating Anecoop's leading position. Thirdly, to deal with clients, work has been carried out on long-term marketing and joint development projects. Lastly, there are plans for the strengthening of the Group's subsidiaries, particularly the ones in Eastern Europe and China.
Joan Mir also confirmed the launch of new offices in northern Spain, based in Lerida, with the goal of improving the stonefruit supply chain.
The campaign by products
The citrus campaign has been Anecoop's best on record, shipping 380,000 tonnes and achieving a 12% higher revenue. Anecoop's exports represent 9% of Spain's total.
Regarding fruit, the season has generally been marked by the weather conditions, which were not favourable for strawberries and caused the staggering of the other fruits up until August . The excellent Persimon® kaki campaign is particularly noteworthy, with a 20% growth in volume and similar results to those obtained in 2011/2012. It has also been one of the best watermelon campaign in recent years.
The vegetable campaign, in which an 8% growth in volume and 17.3% in revenue have been registered, can be considered one of Spain's best for nearly all products. Production delays in some European countries made them more receptive to Spanish products.
Main markets
Anecoop's 72 associated horticultural and wine cooperatives export its products to 64 countries. Europe is the main destination, with France, Germany and Spain on top, followed by Sweden, United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic and the Netherlands. The EU market represents a little over 92% of its exports. The second largest destination is Eastern Europe, which receives 3% of the shipments. It is worth noting that Anecoop's market share has grown significantly in Russia and some eastern European countries in recent years.
Just like last season, the main destination for Anecoop has been France, with close to 168,000 tonnes marketed, followed by Germany, with almost 125,500 tonnes, and Spain, with around 82,000 tonnes.