The mushroom sector of La Rioja, which is Spain's largest producer and one of the largest in the world, aims to change its structure in order to double its fresh production volume in three years.
This was explained by José Antonio Royo, president of the Professional Association of Mushroom Growers of La Rioja (ASOCHAMP) during a press conference.
Royo has signed an agreement with the Government of La Rioja, for which it will receive 160,000 Euro this year to assist in the maintenance of the Mushroom Research Centre.
In his speech, he explained that La Rioja, which has 183 farms, produces 72,000 tonnes of mushrooms every year, accounting for about 3% of the world production and more than 55% of Spain's.
Of that volume, 25 percent goes to the fresh produce line, especially for large retailers, while the rest goes to the canning industry.
However, he noted that "consumption trends are changing rapidly" and that "the consumption of fresh mushrooms has doubled since 2002, while that of canned mushrooms has been gradually falling."
That is why the sector in La Rioja has been involved in "an important structural change," with which they seek for "half of the production to be intended for fresh consumption in three years," he assured.
"Our companies are constantly struggling not to close," he said, and has insisted on the "global character" of the mushroom sector of La Rioja. That is why "any changes in the world, no matter how far they may seem to be, can affect us" and has cited as examples the situation of European agro-food products in Russia or "the new farming methods introduced in China."
"The challenges now are to boost the fresh product consumption and to face the growing competition in France, the Netherlands and Poland," which means "we need to improve our efforts in the fields of quality and competitiveness through research."
