Two leading lights in the Almería growing community have joined forces to give themselves a stronger footing in negotiations with the multiples. Ejido Verde and Agromurgi merged earlier this month to become Murgiverde - the largest co-op in Almería.

The new co-op has more than 1,000ha under production of aubergine, courgettes, melons, watermelons, capsicum, tomatoes and cucumbers. It has 432 grower members, volumes topped 97,000 tonnes last season and turnover was €81.2 million.

In a joint statement the chairmen of the two groups said the merger responds to market demands in which competition is a key factor. “The objective is to achieve greater economies of scale and a means of addressing price-setting by the major chains,” Manuel Galdeano (Ejidoverde) and José Góngora (Agromurgi) said.

Some 62 per cent of production from the new group - which is due to become operational for the 2005-06 season beginning in September - is destined for export. Germany is the leading destination for its products closely followed by the UK and France.

The announcement was made at the offices of financial institution Cajamar which is extremely active in the horticulture sector in the region. Its president Juan del águila called on other companies in the industry to follow Murgiverde’s example and “join forces.”

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