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Seville, 17 December 2008
- Andalusia confirms itself as the leading Autonomous
Community in the production of early potato in Spain, with over
364,000 tons and a 75% share of the national market, according
to the information offered by the President of the Association
of Producers and Exporters of Andalusian Early Potato, Mariano
Ruiz Perea, during the 1st Andalusian Congress of the Potato
held in Seville (Spain).
- General Director of Agricultural and Livestock-farming Production of
the Agriculture and Fishing Unit of the Junta de Andalucía, Judith Anda,
stressed that “the development of a sustainable and competitive
production and the adaptation to the consumer’s new tastes are key
factors for the potato sector to find new access to markets through the
promotion and diversification of its products”.
- The congress gathered around 200 producers, traders, exporters,
company representatives from the agricultural sector and consumers
associations. The event included various lectures and presentations by
international agri-food experts and government representatives from
various countries.
- The event was jointly organized by the Association of Producers and
Exporters of Andalusian Early Potato and the Spanish section of the
FAO-UN, with the support of the Agriculture and Fishing Unit of the
Junta de Andalucía, EXTENDA and the Caja Rural del Sur Foundation.
The sector of the early potato in Andalusia increased its production by
4.5% during the 2008 campaign, according to the President of the Association
of Producers and Exporters of Andalusian Early Potato, Mariano Ruiz Perea,
during the 1st Andalusian Congress of the Potato held at the Occidental
Hotel in Seville (Spain). Based on this figure, Andalusia confirms itself as
the leading Autonomous Community in the production of early potato in Spain,
with over 364,000 tons and 12.000 hectares cultivated during the months of
April and June. “Nowadays 73% of the potato exported by Spain originates in
our territory, which highlights the importance of our product in the
agricultural market of fresh fruits and vegetables”, pointed out the
President of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Andalusian Early
Potato.
The following Andalusian provinces stand out as leaders in the production
of early potato: Seville (with over 157,000 tons), Cordoba (with over 90,000
tons), Malaga (with over 45,200 tons), Cadiz (with over 41,600 tons), and
Huelva (with over 11,500 tons).
General Director of Agricultural and Livestock-farming Production of the
Agriculture and Fishing Unit of the Junta de Andalucía, Judith Anda,
underlined during the congress that “this event has become the ideal stage
for debating and searching new market opportunities and the improvement of
the competitiveness of the companies belonging to the potato sector in
Andalusia”. The General Director noted that “the development of a
sustainable and competitive production and the adaptation to the consumer’s
new tastes are key factors for the potato sector to find new access to
markets through the promotion and diversification of its products”. Lastly,
she pointed out that she hopes that “this will not be the only congress in
the sector of the Andalusian potato but the first one of a long series of
meetings capable of opening new expansion, trading and export opportunities
of a product like the potato, which represents a basic food in many
countries in the world”.
Mariano Ruiz Perea, President of the Association of Producers and
Exporters of Andalusian Early Potato, co-organizer of the event in
collaboration with the Spanish section of the FAO-UN, emphasized the
relevance of this meeting as it is the “first congress of its kind held in
Andalusia that has been made possible thanks to the leadership of the early
potato sector in Andalusia at a national level and to the significant export
activity carried out by Andalusian companies”. Specifically, around 25% of
the yearly production of Andalusian early potato is exported to European
Union countries such as Germany, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and
Belgium.
Ruiz Perea also declared that “our objective is to reinforce a fresh food
product such as the potato through the adaptation in quality and the
response to the consumer’s tastes with a view on enlarging the production
surface and regaining the export share abroad”.
Around 200 producers, traders, exporters, company representatives from
the agricultural sector, consumers associations and agri-food experts
participated in the 1st Andalusian Congress of the Potato held on the
occasion of the International Year of the Potato 2008 declared by the
FAO-UN. This meeting falls within a worldwide strategy aiming to improve the
sustainability of potato production systems and to raise awareness
throughout the world of the fundamental role of the potato in agriculture,
the economy and agri-food security in the world.
The event was an effective forum for debate and discussion around the
implementation of mutually benefiting and supportive joint activities within
the sector aiming to promote and raise the profile of potato as a basic food
for human life. In addition, the congress succeeded at creating a stage for
a wider development of the potato global sector in Andalusia via consensual
development policies aiming to increase its competitiveness in both internal
and external markets; and at boosting the awareness of the potato in general
and the early potato in Andalusia specifically, as an essential food in a
healthy and balanced diet, stressing its nutritional and sensory attributes.
The 1st Andalusian Congress of the Potato included various lectures and
presentations by international agri-food experts, in particular potato
experts at an international level, and government representatives from
various countries. For instance, Stef de Haan, Head of the Latin American
Innovation Network for Potato Improvement and Dissemination, belonging to
the International Potato Center (Centro Internacional de la Patata or CIP)
from Lima (Peru), delivered a lecture on potato growing: genetic diversity
and challenges for the future. José Escartín Huerto, Deputy Director of
Agricultural and Livestock-farming Resources, belonging to the Ministry of
the Environment, Rural and Maritime Environment, focused on the analysis of
the economic evolution of the potato market internationally, stressing the
growth experienced by Mediterranean and North African countries.
Kris Michiels, Head of the Flemish Centre for Agro- and Fish Marketing
(Vlaams Centrum voor Agro- en Visserijmarketing) in Belgium, presented
various dissemination experiences related to the potato in European
countries. Lastly, Germán Rojas, representative of the FAO-UN Spain, offered
an overview of the potato as an essential food product around the globe.
The Association of Producers and Exporters of Andalusian Early Potato
The Association of Producers and Exporters of Andalusian Early Potato
belongs to Asociafruit, a non-profit association that represents fruit and
vegetables producers and exporters from Andalusia and Extremadura. The main
production area of early potatoes is located across the provinces of
Seville, Cadiz, Huelva and the fertile valley of Cordoba, which enjoy
optimal climate and soil conditions for the cultivation of an early potato
of the highest quality. Producers and Exporters of Andalusian Early Potato
represents the majority of the production and marketing sector of the early
potato in Andalusia, where the number of associated companies amounts to
twenty.
The Andalusian early potato
The Andalusian early potato is harvested between the months of April and
June and, as opposed to the traditional old potato, it is a fresh product
that arrives directly to the consumer without any need for storage. Among
its main attributes, its taste is of paramount importance thanks to the soil
types in which it grows. Its freshness, low environmental impact during its
production and delivery to consumers, and rigorous quality certification
processes guarantee its food security. The majority of the Andalusian early
potato production stays within the domestic market as alternative or
substitute for the old potato from mid- and late season harvests stored in
the previous year.
For additional information contact Marta Muela via telephone at +34 954
50 24 01 or via email at
www.andalusianearlypotatoes.com
 
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