Tropical fruit from the Canary Islands could acquire a much stronger presence outside the region thanks to the creation of a new producer organisation which has set itself the goal of increasing exports to Europe.
Yesterday saw the formal establishment in the Tenerife capital, Santa Cruz, of Tropicán, a new body which brings together seven associations from five islands and over one thousand Canarian growers of tropical and subtropical fruits such as avocado, pineapple, mango and papaya.
The growers have joined forces with each other and the Canarian government to promote the high-value fruit and foster demand beyond the Canaries, which in turn would encourage growers to increase the amount of land used for production.
Papaya production has spiralled of late, exceeding 22,000 tonnes last year, while avocados continue to fetch very high prices in all markets at present, with the number of hectares devoted to production here having almost tripled in less than twenty years. So lucrative have avocados become that large-scale thefts from farms have become one of the most prevalent crimes in Tenerife, with losses estimated at 15% of total production.
The Canaries are already well known for their bananas, which enjoy a privileged position on the Spanish market, and also for tomatoes, an ever present in several parts of Europe in the winter months. However, Tropicán president Francisco José Echandi believes that there are massive untapped export opportunities for the islands’ tropical and sub-tropical fruit and it is just a matter of seizing these by working together to help the sector thrive even more successfully.
In attendance at the unveiling of the new organisation was Canarian agriculture minister Narvay Quintero, who promised to help the fruit growers explore avenues of regional, Spanish and even EU funding to help the exports.
