In 2020, supermarket chain Lidl bought a total of 307,000 tons of summer fruit from Spanish farmers, 87% of which were destined for export to other countries, according to a press release from the company.
Lidl thus promotes the presence of proximity references on its shelves by collaborating with a hundred suppliers of summer fruit, most of them from autonomous communities of the Mediterranean, such as Andalusia, Murcia, or Catalonia, who employ more than 5,400 farmers that produce everything from melons and watermelons to stone fruits.
The chain distributes this Spanish seasonal fruit through its more than 630 stores in Spain and its international network of more than 11,200 establishments in some thirty countries, such as Germany, France, and Poland.
"Once again, and despite the circumstances, Lidl demonstrates its firm and decided commitment to national products and suppliers, fully trusting in the quality of the national products and closely accompanying the business development of Spanish farmers," stated the general director of Purchasing of Lidl Spain, Miguel Paradela.
The consulting firm PwC estimates that Lidl purchases more than 16% of all the fruit and vegetables produced in Spain (14% is dedicated to export), which shows the important role that Lidl has in the Spanish agricultural sector. The same study indicates that a total of 45,000 indirect and induced jobs in the sector are already linked to the company's activity.
Leading the preservation of biodiversity in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables
Lidl announced that it will work together with Global Gap to create the first European standard for the preservation of biodiversity in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. The goal is to minimize the impact that agricultural activity has on ecosystems, product varieties, and species diversity through measures that will ensure the sustainability of crops while adding value to the products produced under this criterion.
Source: europapress.es
