Two of Spain’s biggest fruit and vegetable producer organisations have announced plans to join forces, creating one of Europe’s biggest produce organisations with a combined turnover of €2.4bn.
The Association of Almerian Fruit and Vegetable Organisations (Coexphal) and the Andalusian Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Associations (Ecohal) have entered into merger negotiations in a move designed to ensure that the horticultural sectors of Almeria and Granada “pull in the same direction, defending the same interests”, Coexphal explained in a press release.
The new organisation will represent almost 100 per cent of the two provinces’ fresh produce output and around 75 per cent of Spanish fruit and vegetable production, equivalent to some 3.5m tonnes a year. It will employ 60,000 people and span a production area of 40,800ha.
Founded in 1977, Coexphal is made up of 58 companies with annual sales of €1.576bn, while Ecohal comprises 19 companies and has an annual turnover of €850m.
Jerome Perez Parra, secretary general of agriculture and food at the government of Andalusia, welcomed the merger, claiming it was “necessary for the sector as a whole” and that “together the associations are stronger”.
