The president of the Spanish Potato Forum, Jose Ramon Aguado, told reporters that potato producers, processors and distributors were going to launch a media campaign to encourage domestic consumption of this product, which has fallen 35% in 25 years. José Ramón Aguado presented a promotional campaign that is starting in May, for an initial period of seven months, and that will focus on promoting consumption of new potatoes, emphasizing on its organoleptic qualities and health benefits, among others.
According to Aguado, the Spanish potato sector has been facing a gradual decline in consumption and production for more than two decades. If Spaniards consumed 37 kilos per person per year in 1990, a figure that now stands at around 24 kilos per person per year.
The productive area, he said, has declined by 30% in the last decade, with 75,775 hectares in 2014 and a production of 2.4 million tons, a figure that is expected to decrease again this year and amount to 1.9 million tons.
He stated that there were many factors contributing to this situation, such as a lack of profitability for producers, the increase in prices at points of sale, and because the product might not always have the best quality.
The campaign, which had an initial private funding of 250,000 Euro, a figure they wish to increase, mainly focuses on the use of new potatoes, but the Forum also wants to implement a logo, in the product's packaging and points of sale, detailing both how it can be used and its Spanish origin.
On the other hand, Aguado said, the sector in Castilla and Leon is forming an interbranch organization, which is already well advanced, while in Andalucía, another of the main producing areas, the organization is starting to work.
He expressed his confidence that both regional organizations would be fully constituted next year so that they could come together to facilitate obtaining grants from the European Union.
Source: agroinformacion.com