Miguel ángel Parra has been elected as the new president of Spanish lemon and grapefruit interprofessional Ailimpo. He will serve in the position for the next two years.
Parra, who is an industrialist and farmer, played a key role in the establishment of Ailimpo in 1998.
As new president he will continue with the activities and projects undertaken since 2015 by outgoing president Domingo Arce, who will continue to play a pivotal role as vice president.
His priorities will be to further strengthen lemon and grapefruit production as a sustainable industry, the approval by the Agriculture Ministry of the rule extensions on the use of the approved standard contract and the census of farms and operators, plant health protection against new pests and the creation within the Common Agricultural Policy of new self-regulation tools through the interprofessional associations.
“These pillars will be pivotal in maintaining the profitability and differentiation of the Spanish lemon and grapefruit in the context of a sharp rise in global production over the coming years,” Ailimpo said.
“Sustainability as a future driver of innovation forms part of the vision of the sector fostered by Ailimpo.”
To contribute to this significant challenge, the Lemon Cert project proposes a working system based on GlobalGAP and GRASP certifications to cover farms in Spain.
Through this project Ailimpo is seeking to identify responsible and committed lemon and grapefruit producers with a long-term approach who will apply the production criteria of these certifications to achieve better quality, more efficient and profitable production at a lower cost.
