At a press conference last week, the presidents of SAB-Almendrave from Spain and the Centro Nacional de Competências dos Frutos Secos (CNCFS) unveiled a collaboration - an EU-funded project to promote more almond production from Europe, with a focus on the Iberian Peninsula.
The project aims to increase production, which is accompanied by an increase in demand. In this regard, the almond should explicitly meet the market as an "Iberian product". The campaign is to be launched in Spain, Portugal, France and Germany.
From left: Albino Bento (president of CNCFS), Pere Ferré (president of SAB-Almendrave as well as moderator Fernando Martínez.
It is also important to keep in mind the health and environmental aspects of this production. It is also important to consider this cooperation for other countries. Both countries go hand in hand in this regard, both in agriculture and in gastronomy and other areas. As the second largest almond producer in the world, Spain plays a key role anyway, he said.
"This nut has what it takes to become a flagship of the Iberian Peninsula," says Albino Bento (president of the CNCFS) as stated in the press release. Spain is the main producer of organic almonds in the world, he said. This sector is worth supporting, among other reasons, because more than 19,000 families work in this industry.
Spain has been able to significantly increase its area under almond cultivation, with Portugal also seeing a three-fold increase in production areas. "Our water consumption is lower, and we also use fewer pesticides. The aspect that our almond production is so sustainable should be communicated accordingly. Water and sustainability are two terms that are important for the entire industry."
In any case, he said, it is important for both almond production and European agriculture in general to pay more attention to the issues of water consumption and sustainability. In addition, he said, producers need to be paid a fair salary, which also relies on consumer support. The presence in social media is to be adapted accordingly.
Further information:
www.almendrave.com
www.cncfs.pt