Two of Spain’s leading horticultural organisations, Proexport and Hortyfruta, have joined forces with the Spanish government to devise a new promotional campaign aimed at restoring consumer confidence in the country’s fruits and vegetables across Europe.
The associations, which together represent 56 per cent of total Spanish vegetable exports, are planning a promotional strategy that they hope will reverse the Europe-wide decline in consumption and tackle a generalised drop in prices following the E.coli crisis.
Announcing the campaign at a press conference held today (5 September) in Murcia, Proexport and Hortyfruta said the campaign would be primarily directed at markets hardest hit by the crisis, namely Germany, the UK and Austria, which together account for 41 per cent of Spanish fresh produce exports.
“The value of Spanish exports fell by 50 per cent several times last season and we have had three months with 25 per cent less sales,” said Proexport president Juan Marín Bravo.
“Spanish producers have to defend the image of our sector and to do that, we need to have a broad promotional strategy in export markets.”
The Spanish government will present the promotional plan to the European Union on 16 September to ask for additional funding to meet the estimated €3m cost for a campaign that is projected to last for three years. Hortyfruta and Proexport have already pledged a joint €600,000 towards the promotion.
