Eight co-operatives in the south-eastern Spanish region of Murcia are joining forces to form Alimentos del Mediterráneo - Alimer.
The new co-op will have an annual turnover of some €126 million and will produce, pack and market pears, peaches, apricots, nectarines, grapes and cut flowers as well as lines from other agricultural sectors.
The eight co-ops - Agrosol, Agromur, UAG, Gamur, Suagrilorca, Cofrucieza, Ciezana de Frutas and Camposur - have 1,600 members between them,
“The merger has come about in order to be more competitive and to be able to survive in a market in which the major companies and banks are tending to merge and in which there is an excessive number of co-ops,” said Manuel Soler, president of Agrosol and spokesman for the Alimer project.
He also cited increased third-country competition as an aggravating factor and said that in the short-to-medium term, Alimer hoped to expand. “We hope to continue to incorporate more new members, because the bigger we are, the more competitive we will be.”
Soler indicated that Alimer will be talking to other co-operatives, particularly in the citrus sector.
Alimer’s member co-operatives must hold general meetings to invite votes to approve the move by July 1.
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