The 202 members of the Association of Organic Banana Producers Valle del Chira (APROBOVCHIRA) already have the necessary infrastructure and technology required by the export market. APROBROVCHIRA inaugurated a cold chamber for organic banana, which was co-financed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MINAGRI), through the Compensation Program for Competitiveness - AGROIDEAS.
The inauguration ceremony was held in the district of Querecotillo and was attended by the president of the Association, Ricardo Silupu Rivera, beneficiary producers, and the national head of the AGROIDEAS Program, Jorge Amaya Castillo, who toured the facilities to appreciate the fruit production process.
The cold room can store two containers of organic bananas, i.e. about 40 tons, and will help the partners reduce costs, as they won't have to outsource the service. AGROIDEAS invested S/ 586,655.12 in this asset, which is part of the technology adoption Business Plan, and also included the implementation of a fertilization plan, the delivery of a truck and van, the construction of five packing centers, the expansion of the palletizing center, training, and technical assistance.
Organic bananas for export
"Thanks to AGROIDEAS, we have been able to start the innovation, and acquisition of infrastructure and equipment processes, which importers demanded. That has allowed us to strengthen the technical capabilities of the workers in the packaging process and producers in the field," said Kelvin Atoche, a spokesman for the association.
These improvements have allowed the agrarian organization to produce up to 11 containers of organic bananas per week. Currently, APROBOVCHIRA exports directly to the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany. It also has Global GAP and Fair Trade certifications. In 2018 they achieved sales for US $8,687,000 (FOB value).
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