The company is extending its crops in Cadiz and Seville, while its subsidiary in Peru is growing at a rate of 120 ha per year
The producers from the Axarquía region, in Málaga, the best area for growing avocados and mangos in Spain, along with the coast of Granada, are opening up other areas to extend their crops and get around the water problems. This is the case of Alcoaxarquía, which has opted for planting in Cadiz and Seville. In the former region, they have exclusivity agreements with producers in the area and they already have 72 hectares, whilst in Seville they have planted another 10. “They are working quite well regarding quality, and although Axarquia and Granada provide greater certainty due to their locations, with climate change the subject is changing completely. In addition, the new anti-frost technologies help to control any possible problems in other provinces,” explains the company’s manager, José Antonio Alconchel.
Its growth rate is marked by the nurseries. “Right now, there is a bottleneck due to the high demand for plants, but we want to continue growing as soon as they supply us with produce because consumption continues to increase.”
Outside Spain, Alcoaxarquía works with a single origin, Peru, where it has created a subsidiary that is in expanding rapidly, with a growth rate of 120 hectares per year and 100% of its crops use ecological production systems. José Antonio Alconchel Jr has moved to the region to lead the project.
In our country, the forecast is for 70% of the crops becoming bio over the next three years, with this figure reaching 100% in five years. And the fact is that sustainability is not just a question of ‘marketing’ for the company. They are tackling it with responsibility at different levels. The most eye-catching point: they no long use air transport. “We have changed to greener models. The shipping companies are adapting with new ship models to ensure that goods transport is less polluting.”
At its head offices in Spain, located in Vélez-Málaga, they have just established in February self-supply energy consumption, supplying 100% of their needs using solar panels, as the C02 Reduction Certificate confirms.
And with regard to packaging, they have three packaging lines that they will present at Fruit Logistica: a bio-compostable line, another recyclable line and a new line based on cellulose, in addition to the laser labelling option. “We already have three types of netting,” Alconchel points out.
All these new developments may be seen on the two stands that they will have at the German trade fair, Fruit Logistica: in Hall 10.2 / B-03 for Alcoaxarquía España and Hall 25 / ST10 for the subsidiary from Peru.
