In October 2020, hand in hand with AGQ Labs and Natural Crops, Frutas Faustino, a partner of the Eurobanan group, launched Avofun Europe, an ambitious avocado cultivation project in the Spanish province of Huelva that today has a total of more than 150 hectares in Villablanca.
"This is the second year in which we have had a marketable production and we have reached 600 tons of avocados, but we hope to reach 2,500 tons soon," said Carmen Rodriguez, head of Avofun. "Huelva has very good conditions for avocado cultivation, and even more so in the area where we are located."
"Our farm El Centenil California is located 12 km from the coast, so it has mild temperatures throughout the year. Moreover, it is surrounded by 48 hectares of pine and oak trees that protect the plantation from the wind, and we have implemented a micro-sprinkler system throughout the farm that help us regulate the temperature when necessary, both in hot and cold weather."
"Avofun's objective is to produce sustainably, so our partners are implementing the latest developments in agricultural management and technology, carrying out exhaustive laboratory controls to ensure the crops' needs, whether nutritional or hydric, etc., are covered in every part of the farm," said Carmen.
"As for irrigation, this year, in which we have been dealing with dry weather, the water allocation from the irrigation community to which we belong has been reduced by 30%, but thanks to our high precision localized irrigation and the pond we have on the farm, we have still been able to have a good production, without any issues."
"In Malaga, they have faced much greater difficulties this season to irrigate their avocado farms due to the ban on the use of water from La Viñuela," said Carmen Rodriguez. "In fact, the lack of water, together with the limited availability of land in the province, is leading more and more avocado growing companies in La Axarquia to acquire land in Huelva."
The province has the right conditions required for the cultivation of avocados: mild temperatures, areas with sandy soils with very good drainage and low salinity and, very importantly, enough water resources even in periods of scarcity and limitations.
"We see a lot of interest in avocado production in the province and the value of the land is notably increasing, generating quite a lot of expectation. In the avocado market, there is more demand than production, and that always guarantees interest. Also, while it is true that more and more volumes are coming from abroad, Spanish consumers highly appreciate domestic avocados, and thanks to that, we have continued to be the best producers. I am sure that avocados have a great future ahead in Huelva."
"For us at Avofun, our main market is, in fact, the domestic one, since our partner Eurobanan is already a leader in Spain, where it has developed extensive marketing channels through supermarkets and traditional markets. But we also cannot forget that there are many other European markets where both the Spanish production and sustainability are highly appreciated, so we also have customers in Europe that we supply with our fruit."
Carmen RodrÃguez.
Once the planting stage has been completed, Avofun's production should increase significantly. The production is expected to become four times larger than it was this season, although this is not the only growth projection foreseen by this project, made up of leading companies in the fruit and vegetable sector in Spain, and integrated in a unique business model.
"Avofun Europe is open to work with new companies willing to join our project and cultivate under the standards and advice of our partner AGQ Labs, thereby helping them boost the marketing of their production."
For more information:
Avofun Europe
Tel.: +34 650 666 595
[email protected]
https://avofun.es