Conserve Italia: more local and more mechanical

Conserve Italia has set itself two objectives in Apulia, in an effort to bring agricultural production closer to its processing plant: it wants to encourage the growers closest to its Mesagne site (Brindisi) to assemble 50% of the crop within a radius of a few dozen kilometers and it wants to collaborate with POs in developing the mechanization of harvesting operations. 

Daniele Piva, in charge of agricultural production at Conserve Italia, adds: “There are several large farms that are already linked to our processing plant, but we want to encourage cultivation even closer to Mesagne, in order to reduce transport distances and environmental impact.”
“The 46,000 m² installation processes 55,000 tonnes of produce per year, mainly grown on the 700 hectares of processing tomatoes cultivated by member growers of Conserve Italia in Apulia and neighboring regions. This factory represents a major source of employment for the area, generating an annual economic impact of approximately EUR 3.6 million just in terms of wages and tax income, without taking account of indirect business.”

The Bolognese cooperative group – which manufactures “red cans” under the Cirio, Valfrutta and Jolly Colombani brands at this installation in the region of Salento – has held meetings in recent months with dozens of growers from the relevant areas, who have shown a lot of interest in this initiative, which aims at consolidating the presence of the cooperative group within a territory considered strategic for the production of peeled tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.

“Apulian tomatoes are a strategic asset for our company, in particular for the Cirio brand as it is present on the market with the ‘Pelati di Puglia’ and the recent ‘Le Selezioni’ range that also includes the ‘Datterini’ and ‘Ciliegini di Puglia’,” explained Piva. “We want to broaden our social base in this region, supporting our farmers through guarantees and stability that only a large cooperative like ours is able to provide, by being present from technical assistance to the farms and support for mechanized harvesting right up until up the phases of transport to the processing plant.”

“We are creating favorable conditions to promote and improve the cultivation of processing tomatoes in the Salento region,” declared the President of Conserve Italia, Maurizio Gardini. “We will be able to better preserve the raw material, reduce the environmental impact and rationalize transport costs, bringing greater profitability to Apulian farmers. We provide economic incentives to our associated cooperatives, based on the reduction of transport distances from the field to the factory,” he concluded.

Source: freshplaza.com