The president of PROEXPORT, Juan Marín, expressed his satisfaction about the progress made to ensure the inclusion of a cargo terminal to Murcia's future airport, as it could help the Region's fruit and vegetable exports to enter new markets. He made this statement at his meeting with the Councillors of Development, Francisco Bernabé, and Agriculture, Adela Martinez-Cachá. "The Councillor has informed us about the logistics capabilities of the future airport, following the commitment made to PROEXPORT to facilitate the export of our productions."
In this sense, the president of PROEXPORT explained Bernabé what the necessary conditions would be for this cargo terminal to be useful to horticultural exporters. "For fruit and vegetables to be shipped by air from Murcia, it is imperative to have an experienced operator in the field of fresh produce shipments; it is also important for all destinations where the cost of shipping by air is acceptable to be taken into due consideration. Furthermore, the service has to be stable, regular, and with rates compatible with the prices of our goods," explained Marín.
PROEXPORT's partners have shown their satisfaction with the project and their willingness to contribute to the viability plan prepared by the Ministry of Public Works, since "if the conditions required for our exports are met, we hope to reach distant destinations at a competitive price," concludes Marín. Markets in the Middle East, Africa or America may get closer to Murcia's productions through a viable air connection, thus helping tap the great export potential of Eastern Spain. Currently, exporters of Murcia, Alicante and Almeria have to ship their products to these destinations via Amsterdam.
For Bernabé, "it is a historic opportunity." Apart from the indisputable touristic interest of Corvera Airport, the goal of the Ministry of Public Works is for the viability plan to take into account the real potential of the cargo terminal.
The Association of Producers-Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables of the Region of Murcia (Proexport), brings together 51 groups of companies and cooperatives devoted to the production, marketing and export of fruit and vegetables in the region of Murcia. PROEXPORT's partners market nearly a million tonnes of tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, melon and other vegetables, directly employing more than 25,000 workers. PROEXPORT concentrates more than 70% of the Region's total production and export of those products.