Agro-food Cooperatives Extremadura currently has 60 associated cooperatives, which add up to a total of 185 cooperatives including grassroots cooperativesand in 2024 they will have invoiced more than 1,700 million euros, according to what its president, Ángel Pacheco, tells elEconomista.
For Extremadura, the agri-food sector is fundamental, and according to Pacheco, “it accounts for 12-13% of its GDP, and of this the cooperatives contribute 60%”, which represents a 5.5% of total GDP in the region.
Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias Extremadura is a main driving force in the region, “they represent more than 35,000 families of the members of the cooperative, generating more than 3,500 direct jobswhich represents 8.3% of the active population of Extremadura”.
Regarding 2024, Ángel Pacheco has highlighted that “It has been a positive year”although there have been incidents in the stone fruit sector, such as cherries, due to the storm that arrived before the season, but “in general it has been a good year in almost all sectors,” he highlighted.
Looking ahead to 2025, Ángel Pacheco has highlighted that work will continue “in line with recent years” strengthen the dimension and cooperation between all cooperatives “so that they are increasingly stronger to be able to face investments and new future challenges: we have to unite production to be more competitive,” he highlighted.
But for this, “generational change is key”According to the president, in some sectors there are elderly professionals, and in this situation “financial aid alone is not enough, so we must work together to guarantee this replacement.” Highlighting that the average age of professionals in Extremadura is in the 60 yearsso we have to work “to give them a decent retirement.”
“We must speak clearly in the sector,” because as he stressed, “If we are always crying we don’t make it attractive”and it is a sector with a great opportunity for the future, especially for young people who do not have to emigrate because “they have an opportunity in the productive, technical and transformative part of the sector, so a positive vision must be given to make it attractive to young people”.
“Young people have to understand that the future of the countryside has nothing to do with the past,” but that for this they need to take advantage of new technologies to technify farms. He stated that much progress has been made in all sectors, highlighting that “there are sectors with the possibility of greater modernization, but we must think about transforming”, as is being done in the tomato sector, being today the first tomato producers.” .
One of the sectors with the greatest generational change is being tobacco sector. “Young people have seen the profitability, and it is a sector that allows it to be combined with leisure”, which is why it has a high impact in the province of Cáceres, being key in the north of the province, where it is developing “with a conviction of social, economic and environmental sustainability”.
Regarding the controversy in the tobacco sector, he stressed that it is a “legal” crop and is produced anywhere in the world, so here traceability must be “guaranteed and work continues to maintain it.”
Regarding irrigation in Tierra de Barros, he stressed “that it is fundamental”, also highlighting the advances in the use of water, but remembers that farmers “do not waste water, they transform it into food” Therefore, “any project that improves production is essential”, since within 20 years “we will have more inhabitants and we have to feed with the same surface area, so we have to work to be more efficient.”
In the sector of cattle raisinghighlighted that the work carried out “has been spectacular”, as an example he highlighted that “the largest sheep cooperative in all of Europe is in Extremadura, which is also the second largest beef producing region, all of this adding to the Iberian sector.” , so “everyone is important,” he said.
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