Mango is synonymous with social and economic development for the 118 families that make up the Apromalpi Organic Producers Cooperative, an agrarian organization in the Chulucanas district that now has its own frozen mango processing plant. This infrastructure was co-financed through a Business Plan of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation's Agroideas Program.
The director of Agroideas, Carlos Anderson Del Val, attended this plant's opening ceremony and highlighted the commitment of every producer in this organization. "You are the protagonists of the successful operation of this infrastructure. This plant symbolizes a hopeful future for the entire town. This is how Agroideas contribute to improving the quality of life of the farming families," he said.
In 2019, the 118 members of the Apromalpi Cooperative decided to industrialize their mango production with a view to export. They chose to implement this frozen mango processing plant, which allows the transformation of discarded fruit into a product with international demand that will improve the profitability of the agribusiness.
"There are several companies exporting fresh mango and there is a strong competition in the sector. On the other hand, there are only a few people producing frozen mango. That's to our benefit," stated 88-year old Francisco Rojas, the president and leader of Apromalpi.
The project was worth 2.2 million Soles. Agroideas contributed 1.15 million and the remaining 1.06 were financed by the organization. This investment allowed them to construct the plant and implement the complete process line: washing, ripening chamber, trapping, take-off, packing, processing room, pre-cold chamber, freezing tunnel, product packaging room, and a chamber for the finished product.
In addition to adding value to its mango production, this infrastructure has generated 70 jobs in the plant, which are occupied by young professionals in the area. The plant will also allow the cooperative to provide processing services to other producers in the town, thus generating greater income for the cooperative, which already has sales commitments for the 2021-2022 campaign.
"In this campaign, we plan to export 5 containers of frozen mango and 70 containers of our fresh mango production to Canada, France, Spain, and the Netherlands," stated Luis Matias, the manager of Apromalpi.
To date, MIDAGRI, through Agroideas, has approved a total of 94 Business Plans in the Piura region favoring 4,000 producers of organic bananas, cocoa, mango, lemon, and coffee, among other products.