News
Las Marismas planning to produce ketchup and sauces
On 7 October, the agricultural cooperative Las Marismas de Lebrija in Andalusia (Spain) organised an event and award ceremony to mark the end of its 2020 processing season. This event featured the president of the cooperative, Juan Sánchez, the mayor of Lebrija, Pepe Barroso, the Professor Antonio Escribano, who exposed the health benefits of tomato products, and partner David Muñoz who was presented with the "2020 Tomato Campaign Award" for being the farmer who reached the best tomato yield.
It was reported that during the 2020 season, which lasted from mid-July to early September, the cooperative processed 149,000 tonnes of fresh tomato from 1,660 hectares planted in the lands of Sector B XII of the Bajo Guadalquivir. The average yield was around 90 tonnes per hectare. The total production of bulk tomato paste was over 31,000 tonnes which have already been sold in their entirety in the national and international market (Japan, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and Israel). This volume is less than half of what was processed in 2019, due to the incidence of diseases such as mildew, bacteriosis or tuta, as well as poor weather throughout the season.
Las Marismas de Lebrija SCA currently has 580 members and employs more than 1000 seasonal workers at its Lebrija 60 hectares site, of which only 25 are currently built. The cooperative announced that it is seeking political support and three million euros to invest in second-stage processing facilities and thus be able to produce retail products, like ketchup and tomato sauces, for direct sales to the final consumer, while at the same time bringing many stable jobs to the local economy.
It was reported that during the 2020 season, which lasted from mid-July to early September, the cooperative processed 149,000 tonnes of fresh tomato from 1,660 hectares planted in the lands of Sector B XII of the Bajo Guadalquivir. The average yield was around 90 tonnes per hectare. The total production of bulk tomato paste was over 31,000 tonnes which have already been sold in their entirety in the national and international market (Japan, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and Israel). This volume is less than half of what was processed in 2019, due to the incidence of diseases such as mildew, bacteriosis or tuta, as well as poor weather throughout the season. Las Marismas de Lebrija SCA currently has 580 members and employs more than 1000 seasonal workers at its Lebrija 60 hectares site, of which only 25 are currently built. The cooperative announced that it is seeking political support and three million euros to invest in second-stage processing facilities and thus be able to produce retail products, like ketchup and tomato sauces, for direct sales to the final consumer, while at the same time bringing many stable jobs to the local economy.
Sources: ABC de sevilla & El correo de Andalucia
