The participants of a technical conference devoted to green asparagus, which was held in the town of Huétor Tájar (Granada), stated that this crop continued to have an upward trend in the province of Granada, its main producer in Andalusia, despite the arrival of alternative crops in the area, such as khaki and pistachio, as its acreage has increased by 40% in the last few years.
The participants of the meeting, which was organized by the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training and Fisheries of Andalusia (IFAPA), the Rural Fund of Granada, and the Agrifood Cooperatives of Granada, stressed the economic and social importance of the asparagus, which, they said, had slowed down the effects of unemployment because it needed a lot of manpower, both for its harvest and manipulation.
During the conference, the territorial delegate of Agriculture, Immaculada Oria, stated that the province of Granada was the main producer of asparagus in Andalusia.
Specifically, she said, the municipalities of Vega de Granada and west of Granada account for 80% of total production of green asparagus in Andalusia, i.e. over 29 tons.
Loja and Huétor Tájar are the main producing municipalities of this vegetable, with more than 1,400 hectares.
The domestic market remains the main destination of the asparagus from Granada, even though the cooperatives have made a major effort to attract customers from countries such as Austria, England, Italy and the Nordic countries.
The asparagus sector is organized around 22 agricultural cooperatives spread in la Vega and west Granada.
These cooperatives represent over 3,200 partners with nearly 5,000 hectares of production, which accounts for a turnover of more than $48 million Euro.
Each season, green asparagus generates more than 2.5 million wages and 1,400 jobs in handling and packaging facilities of agricultural cooperatives, where female employment stands out.
The town of Huétor Tájar is known for having a local variety of the green asparagus that is covered with the distinctive PGI Asparagus of Huétor Tájar.
The South Central Cooperative is the only producer of purple green asparagus that has the PGI seal Huétor Tájar Asparagus and that markets its products in Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Switzerland, Portugal, Holland, and Belgium, among others.
Source: radiogradada.es