The agricultural auxiliary industry is one of the key pillars underpinning the competitiveness of Spain’s fruit and vegetable model. It generates €1.635 billion in turnover, exports around 30% of its sales to destinations including Latin America (29.6%), Morocco (20.4%), Europe (11.1%), the Gulf countries (6.5%), Turkey (6.5%), South Africa (5.6%), Central Asia (4.6%) and China (3.7%), and provides an essential technological foundation for the modernisation of agriculture.
Compared with Spain’s fruit and vegetable exports, which reach €3.716 billion, its economic significance becomes clear. Its contribution extends beyond turnover, generating innovation, skilled employment, internationalisation and greater competitiveness across the entire value chain.
Tecnova works closely with this business ecosystem, which includes companies linked to greenhouse technology, irrigation, biological control, biotechnology, automation, postharvest solutions, packaging, robotics and agricultural digitalisation.
“The auxiliary industry does not simply support the production sector; it drives it forward, makes it more efficient and strengthens Spain’s position as an international benchmark in intensive agriculture and agri-food technology,” explains Mª Carmen Galera, General Manager of Tecnova.
Spain stands out particularly in fertigation, greenhouse technology, sensor systems, integrated pest management, biostimulants and speciality fertilisers, agricultural machinery, farm management software and plastic films.
Digitalisation and climate resilience: today’s challenges
In response to increasingly stringent European regulations and the challenges posed by climate change, the industry is developing solutions based on smart irrigation, biological inputs, automation and precision agriculture tools.
Digitalisation occupies a central role. Real-time monitoring, artificial intelligence and predictive models are already part of the daily management toolkit on many farms.
Twenty-five years driving collective innovation
Against this backdrop, Tecnova is celebrating its 25th anniversary. With close to one hundred member companies, 151 active collaborating organisations, 50 annual R&D&I projects and 12 hectares of experimental facilities housing 35 greenhouses, the Almería-based technology centre has become a catalyst for collaboration between companies, researchers and growers.
Its international presence extends from highly advanced markets such as Japan, Israel and Canada to emerging economies across Sub-Saharan Africa.
