The creation of this Economic Interest Group, a non-profit mercantile society that aims to improve the results of its partners' activities, is the result of the experimental research carried out by Anecoop for seven years at the UAL-Anecoop Foundation and its subsequent transfer to producers.
Its first papaya exports, back in November 2015, went to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy and Portugal and were shipped through Anecoop's logistic and commercial network. In order to coordinate the first productions, the platform has been set up in one of Anecoop's member cooperatives in the area, Hortamar.
Papayas are the third most produced tropical fruit in the world, after mangoes and pineapples, and its growth prospects are very high. For now, Spain only accounts for 0.1% of the total produced worldwide, since so far the Canary Islands was the only Spanish region in which this product was grown.
According to the president of Exóticos del Sur, Francisco Barranco, "we were the first to bet on a product that is profiled as a very good alternative to traditional horticultural crops, and which has great prospects for the future, as thanks to the support of Anecoop's structure, it has become possible to manage the production and marketing; key factors that make the difference in the market."
For his part, Anecoop president Alejandro Monzón has taken advantage of the opportunity to send a message of gratitude to the Almerian producers involved in the project, who "have firmly believed in the potential of this initiative and have been fully involved from the very beginning."
The Spanish south east is of strategic interest to Anecoop due to its business possibilities and the strength of its intensive and greenhouse agricultural sector. In Andalusian greenhouses, it is possible to reproduce the tropical climate and humidity. According to Anecoop's forecasts, the papaya production in the next campaign will exceed one and a half million kilos, with crops in different growing areas, from the coasts of Malaga, Granada (Motril) and Almeria to Murcia (Mazarrón).
More information:
Anecoop S. Coop.