On Thursday September 17th the annual 'Holland day' took place in Almeria, Spain with the theme: 'together we are strong'. GroentenFruit Huis/DPA (Fresh Produce Center) was present with broad representation in the sector. As the theme suggested, cooperation was central during the talks.
Dutch and Spanish sales organizations were invited to come together to encourage more understanding and thus lead to wider European cooperation. This call was made by Juan Colomina from the Almerian Coexphal, which is similar to the GroentenFruit Huis in that it also represents the interests of growers, grower associations and the private auctions/exporters, "Market players are just getting bigger, so cooperation is the future." The newly appointed Dutch ambassador Matthijs van Bonzel opened the Holland Day and praised the horticulture industry. Representatives from both the Dutch and Spanish governments talked about the developments in the horticulture industry in both countries.
In Spain, nearly 600 recognized producer organizations exist, accounting for nearly 60% of the market share with a 7 billion Euro turnover. In the Netherlands there are currently 14 recognized growers associations (producer organizations) with more then a one billion Euro turnover. In Spain, rural development funds are used to promote the formation and creation of recognized producer organizations.
After a lunch given by the Dutch Embassy, the more than 100 participants had plenty of time for networking.
