In 2016 Spaniards ate an average of 1.5 kg of broccoli per person
The 8th Annual General Assembly of the +Brócoli Association has confirmed what the sector has been sensing for some time: broccoli is in fashion and has a great future ahead of it.
The figures that were given during the assembly, held on the 2nd of June in Lorca, corroborated this, with a general growth in consumption which nationally was around 20% in 2016. Specifically, Spaniards ate 66,000 tonnes of this super-vegetable, whilst in the previous year this figure reached only 55,000 tonnes. This means that there has been a speeding up regarding consumption, with 300 grams more per person/year, compared to previous years where the inter-annual variation was 100 grams. But there is still a great deal to be done. There is a wide margin for improvement, comparing our figures with countries such as the United Kingdom, with 5 kg/person/year in 2014 or the USA, with 4.18 kg.
Production is where we do lead the market. At least in Europe, where Spain holds the leadership with over 45,000 hectares, followed, far behind, by Italy (13,000 hectares) and the United Kingdom (9,000). Most of the volume is used for export (88%), whilst national sales make up 12%, two points more in the last few years and this has grown by 20% in Spanish supermarkets in 2016.
Regarding market share, +Brócoli acting ex-chairman, Víctor Cervera, stated that there are new countries that are beginning to demand this product, whilst Juan Marín, treasurer for +Brócoli and general manager of Campo de Lorca, pointed out the need to “look outside” to obtain new partners with whom to plan strategies. And the fact is that if we join together and increase the sales, the sector will become stronger. “For every kilo/per capita that increases in consumption between 3,000 and 4,000 hectares of production are needed.”
In relation to this campaign, Cervera stated that it has been “more than correct,” with “interesting” prices in spite of the difficulties arising due to a lack of water. Not surprisingly, “we are and will always be the main broccoli producers in the winter campaign.”
Promotion
Without any doubt, a good part of the positive evolution that this product is experiencing is due to the work carried out through campaigns on the Media and social networks, with a scope of over 2.1 million people every month and 25.6 million throughout the year. Amongst the most outstanding actions were the sending of one million units of broccoli with the label ‘Enjoy the healthiest’ to over 100,000 establishments all over Spain and the presentation at Madrid Fusion of the book Grandes chefs y el brócoli (Great chefs and broccoli), published by the association, with the presence of the master chef Martín Berasategui (8 Michelin stars). The text has been put on sale on Amazon and in the near future it will be presented in cities such as Barcelona, Valencia, Murcia and Bilbao.
Assembly attendants witnessed the appointment of the new chairman of +Brócoli, Luis Jiménez, head of the company that carries his name and responsible for the fact that broccoli became known through football. Subsequently a presentation was given by José M. Mulet, full professor of biotechnology at the UPV (University of the Basque Country), who defended the use of transgenics in food and assured that thanks to this technology “we could have broccoli with a high genetic base and greater resistance to pests and drought.”
The last part of the day was the responsibility of Mago More, with a conference called “The positive power of change” and a meal for members where broccoli played a starring role.
