Casi, Europe's biggest tomato cooperative, has announced that it is to hold a general assembly to elect a new president and board on 3 May. The cooperative’s members voted last month to revoke the governing council and bring the election date forward following allegations of fraud against its president, José María Andújar, and manager, Antonio González Garcia.
One of Casi’s members filed a complaint accusing Andújar of “improper management and misappropriation” relating to surcharges he allegedly applied to tomatoes grown on his farms and marketed through the cooperative.
Andújar said he had not yet decided whether he would stand again. “I am weighing up my options before making up my mind,” he announced.
Asked how he sees his chances of being re-elected, Andújar told Fruitnet he preferred to let the results of his tenure speak for themselves. “We have modernised production, management and marketing structures, achieving better prices, opening up new markets and improving grower profitability,” he said. “It’s now up to the opposition to put forward its candidate and publicly explain their management strategy.”
Declaring himself “very satisfied” by what he has achieved at the company, he said he would use the weeks ahead for “quiet reflection” before deciding whether or not he would stand.
In Casi’s last elections in May 2013, Andújar received 568 votes compared with the 352 votes cast for his rival, José Manuel Gálvez del Aguila. During the three years he had headed up the cooperative, Andújar has increased profits from €1.6m to €4.2m.
