Garlic is a safe crop in Cordoba and hasn't stopped yielding good results for its economy. The delegate of Agriculture, Francisco Zurera, reported that in the first quarter of the year, Cordoba's garlic exports recorded a 32% increase in volume compared to the same period last year, while the value grew by 36%. In total, Cordoba exported 4,803 tonnes worth 11.81 million Euro between January and April.
Satisfied with these results, Zurera visited the facilities of Ajos Proaco Productores Agrícolas, a company based in the municipality of Cabra. It is a firm that has an annual average of 150 employees; a figure that during the campaign reaches 620 workers. The delegate also noted that 80% of its workforce is made up of women and explained that the garlic company has 700 hectares devoted to the crop, which an annual production of 11,000 tonnes.
In the last campaign, according to data provided by Zurera, they got their garlic supply from more than 500 hectares in the provinces of Albacete, Cordoba, Malaga, Granada, Toledo and Seville (50 of these lands are owned by them), with an annual production volume totalling 6,000 tonnes. The company invoiced around 15 million Euro in 2016 and 9.5 million in 2015. Zurera noted that 85% of the company's production is exported to five continents, as is the rest of the garlic from Cordoba. The company has its facilities on more than 15,000 square meters. In 2015, they acquired new transport resources and set up a self-guided GPS system for the harvesting tractors. Its objective is to reach consumers as directly as possible, using their own brand and protecting the product's added value in the area. The delegate described the company as "a leading name in the sector" and emphasised its professionalism.
Zurera also recalled data on the cultivation of garlic and noted that in Spain there are 21,000 hectares devoted to the crop, of which 13,000 are located in Castile-La Mancha. For its part, Cordoba is the fourth Spanish province with the largest garlic acreage, with 2,072 hectares, while in terms of production volume it ranks second nationwide, with 25,613 tonnes. Santaella and Montalban are the municipalities that account for most of the garlic acreage in the province.
Source: eldiadecordoba.es
