Agroaldea
This interest in ecology is motivated by a significant increase in demand from large European distributors.
Almeria agriculture prepares to adapt to the future. If in a few years the biological control and integrated production have meant more than 90 percent of crops in greenhouses, in this new phase there is a avalanche of requests for adaptation to organic production.
In just over a month and a half until 360 operators have contacted the largest operator in ecological certification in the province, Agrocolor, to start the process of transformation from integrated to organic production.
Some of these requests come from strong groups in the Almeria fruit and vegetable sector that seek the conversion of hundreds of hectares in the shortest possible time.
This interest in ecology is motivated by a significant increase in demand by the large European distributors, who demand larger amounts of organic product for their customers.
The manager of Agrocolor, Luis Miguel Fernandez, points out that the marketers that are dedicated to ecology ended up last season saturated with requests and without enough product to meet the demands.
In addition, These companies have now been joined by several of the large European distribution groups, primarily in Germany or the United Kingdom.
These are big chains like Lidl or Aldi, among others, with thousands of establishments open in community countries, those that have joined the demand for organic product "Because they are under pressure from their customers and want to have this type of product on their shelves to satisfy the growing demand of consumers".
For this reason, the Almeria marketers are undergoing strong pressure from several clients., who are also your best buyers, to be able to count on in the shortest possible time certified organic products.
That demand has moved to the field, to the producers, that in many cases they are willing to immediately start this new path as they are a market with a promising future which is growing well above the market for conventional products, above the 10 annual percent.
From Agrolocor it is estimated that Almería could increase its organic production above the 30 percent, and percentages higher than the next years. It is a process that takes time since the move from integrated to ecological requires a regulated process that lasts around two years.
Fernández affirms, However, What Almería starts from an excellent position “Because here farmers have been working with biological control for many years, with climate control, with the rational use of water or with the incorporation of techniques and technologies that can be useful to face with a guarantee of success the conversion to organic farming ".
The pressure of the large European distribution companies is being decisive, as evidenced by the fact that the demand for organic products for the campaign that will start in just two months, yes has grown around a 40 percent.
Agrolocor warns that the reconversion may not be so fast to meet that demand, but it guarantees the sale of one hundred percent of what is produced.