The Andalusia early potato sector has claimed three-quarters of the Spanish market and continues to grow, it emerged at a congress of the industry in Seville.

Mariano Ruiz Perea, president of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Andalusian Early Potato, confirmed the industry had produced more than 364,000 tonnes of produce - a 75 per cent share of the national market - during the first Andalusian Congress of the Potato. This represents a four per cent increase in production in 2008.

“Nowadays, 73 per cent of the potato exported by Spain originates in our territory, which highlights the importance of our product in the agricultural market of fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Ruiz Perea.

General director of agricultural and livestock farming of the Junta de Andalucía, Judith Anda, said: “The development of a sustainable and competitive production and the adaptation to the consumer’s new tastes are key factors for the potato sector to find new access to markets through the promotion and diversification of its products.

“This event has become the ideal stage for debating and searching new market opportunities and the improvement of the competitiveness of the companies belonging to the potato sector in Andalusia.

“This will not be the only congress in the sector of the Andalusian potato but the first one of a long series of meetings capable of opening new expansion, trading and export opportunities of a product like the potato, which represents a basic food in many countries in the world,” she said.

Around 25 per cent of the yearly production of Andalusian early potato is exported to EU countries such as Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The congress gathered around 200 producers, traders, exporters, company representatives from the agricultural sector and consumer associations. The event included lectures and presentations by international agri-food experts and government representatives from various countries.

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