Spanish fresh produce association Asaja Murcia has called for the creation of an interprofessional organisation for Murcia’s table grape sector, arguing that such a group could help to ease the considerable cost pressures that are facing growers at present.
In a statement, Asaja Murcia general secretary Alfonso Gálvez Caravaca said he had urged the Spanish government to back the establishment of such an organisation, which he said would give a “better backbone and structure” to the grape sector.
“Given the difficult economic situation in which we find ourselves at this moment when it is vital to be able to count on our supply to compete with other countries, producers now more than ever need an organisation capable of carrying out promotional activities and acting as a uniting force in the sector,” he said.
According to the association, some 6,136ha of table grapes are grown in Murcia, representing 33 per cent of overall Spanish production. Alongside the neighbouring provinces of Almeria and Alicante, Murcia is the leading export region for table grapes in the country, the group added.
