The Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Furche, and authorities of the Maule Region, met at Copefrut's Cenkiwi plant to inaugurate the country's most modern cherry production line, which is also one of the most innovative ones in the world.
200 agricultural producers will benefit from this new technology that is capable of increasing the sector's processing and selection capacity, which will result in a better quality product. The new line consists of a machine that can process up to 12 tons per hour, which means that 25% of the fruit of Copefrut will be processed in it.
Additionally, Copefrut and the University of Chile signed an applied research agreement that will benefit 350 farmers carrying out studies on productive problems in the commune of San Clemente.
Minister Furche stated that the goal of the Agenda for Productivity, Innovation and Growth proposed by President Bachelet was to transform the country into a world food power. "We are proud that this policy is reflected in the new production plant and in the innovation agreement between two very important institutions for the country," he said.
The general manager of Copefrut, Andres Fuenzalida, said that "the commitment with the producers and the country brought us to this moment: the inauguration of one of the most modern cherry production plants in the world and the signing of an agreement with the University of Chile. Today we begin a stage in which we will increase the farmers' returns and we will continue working so that our country achieves its goals."
The dean of the Faculty of Agronomic Sciences of the University of Chile, Roberto Neira, said that "the joint work between private and public institutions in pursuit of innovation is directly beneficial to our society. We have very high expectations of the work we'll begin today. Our goal is to face the complex problems of our country's fruit growing sector, recognizing the producers' needs and creating effective solutions through our Faculty's research."
Copefrut was established in 1955. Currently it exports blueberries, stone fruits, cherries, kiwis, apples, and pears to more than 50 countries worldwide. In total, they ship close to 11,000,000 boxes per year, which are obtained from more than 8,000 hectares of fruit trees distributed between the Metropolitan Region and Los Lagos.
Source: SimFRUIT according to CP Minagri