Some 14 growers in the principality of Asturias have joined forces to market their fruit through Asturian Berries under the auspices of the Cooperativa de Agricultores de Gijón.

The co-op hopes to have some 50ha planted by this October with blueberries through its membership and those growers that sign contracts of integration for the blueberry project. It is receiving support form the local government which is subsidising growers signing up to the initiative.

Asturian Berries is 70 per cent owned by the co-op members and has signed a 20-year contract with Huelva-based Atlantic Blue for distribution of the fruit.

For the Gijón authorities, the project will help producers leave the beleaguered livestock sector and make the most of Asturias’s propitious climate and soil for production of the fruit, which already occurs naturally. The labour intensive nature of its production will also help with provision of jobs in the area.

Atlantic Blue anticipates that the Asturias crop will complement availability from Huelva and Chile and fill the June-September window for export to the UK and other markets.

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