Andalusian umbrella association Hortyfruta has hit back at former member Ecohal-Granada after it left the Spanish organisation in ignominious circumstances amid accusations from both sides.
Ecohal-Granada, which claims to represent 75 per cent of producers in the region, last week announced it was to leave Hortyfruta just a year after joining the group as it believed it did not support small producers and was misuing its budget.
It accused the larger members of Hortyfruta of acting “like a rolling pin” without hearing out smaller producers and accused it of “discrepancies” in its promotional campaigns with an emphasis on its ecological gains over that of certified production.
But Hortyfruta responded angrily to Ecohal’s accusations. Managing director María José Pardo Losilla told freshinfo Ecohal had looked out for its own interest and said it had ridden “rough shod over the terms of its membership”.
Pardo Losilla said: “When Ecohal-Granada joined Hortyfruta they were made aware of the organization’s statute including the various objectives Hortyfruta was set up to achieve. These include the approval and fulfilment of the [classification decree] Decreto de Tipificación and the set of quality regulations for fruit and vegetables.
“Ecohal-Granada was also well aware of the financial commitment to a series of international promotional campaigns. These are ongoing and are designed to inform the main foreign markets of the wide-ranging changes that Andalusian fruit and vegetable industry has, and is, undergoing in terms of integrated production techniques and biological pest control.
“What is true is that in the last three years the area of cultivation under biological control has gone from 500 hectares to 20,000. This change is extraordinary and shows the extent of the commitment of our membership to deliver the very finest products to our customers. This in turn is giving us a platform to promote all Andalusian fruit and vegetables to our international customers.”
She also accused Ecohal of failing to pay its fair share in its membership of the organisation. She said: “Hortyfruta works on an annual budget of £600,000 to promote Andalusian fruit and vegetables in Germany, England and Spain. In order to allow consumers to identify Andalusian Fresh Produce we are in the process of identifying those products that meet Hortyfruta quality standards of integrated pest control with a new Lola logo.
“This is something Ecohal does not agree with and accordingly the group has not contributed to any of the promotional campaigns being run internationally. All Andalusian Fresh Produce has been benefiting from awareness campaigns and to not be prepared to fund this activity is patently unfair on other members.”
But Ecohal said it would consider rejoining if changes in Hortyfruta’s “inflexible internal structure” and “extreme positions” were made while Pardo Losilla said the door was always open if Ecohal was willing to abide by its requirements.
