Anecoop has announced the sad death of its former general director, José María Planells at the age of 71. Describing him as a standard bearer for the cooperative movement in Spanish agriculture, the company said he had been the driving force behind the international expansion of the group, which is now present in over 60 countries worldwide.
Planells was involved in Anecoop since its creation in 1975 when he was named director general, a post he held for 35 years until 2010. During his time at the helm of the company it achieved a number of major milestones, including becoming Spain’s leading fruit and vegetable company, the biggest global exporter of citrus, seedless watermelons and kakis.
In addition to Anecoop he held a number of other important roles on the European Union’s Citrus Committee, the Superior Technical College of Agricultural Engineers at Valencia University, and the Working Group for Cooperation of the Spanish Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives. In 2001, he was made a patron of the Order of Agricultural Merit by the then agriculture minister.
Most recently Planells was president of the Anecoop Foundation which is dedicated to the development of new varieties and growing techniques, as well as a member of the advisory boards of supermarket group Consum and the Valencian Federation of Agrifood Cooperatives. In 2013 the latter awarded him the Pepe Miquel prize for his
In 2013 Planells was awarded the Pepe Miquel prize for his work for the promotion of the cooperative movement in Spain.
