Elected Andalusia Awards for Agriculture and Fisheries to Sustain, Innovation and Diversification
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development has failed its 2016 Agriculture and Fisheries awards for sustainability, innovation and economic diversification, whose delivery ceremony will take place on May 16th at the Rectorate of the University of Cordoba. With these awards, are recognized the effort, work and innovative spirit of companies, entities, professionals and outstanding citizens in the agricultural, livestock, fisheries and agri-food sectors of Andalusia.
In the category of Sustainability has been awarded Bodegas Robles (Córdoba), a family company dedicated to the elaboration and aging of wines and a pioneer in the production of organic wines covered by the ‘Montilla-Moriles Denomination’
With a marked international character, it has also been the first Spanish winery to calculate its carbon footprint with the commitment to gradually reduce its emissions and impeller of the vine sponsorship project ‘Sigue tu cepa’.
As an innovative initiative, the jury has chosen the Almeria company Cuevas de Almanzora Agrícola Navarro de Haro, a national reference in horticultural production and marketing. It stands out for its wide variety of products grown in extensive agriculture, highlighting the Sandía Fashion.
In the category of economic diversification, the National Association of Sheep Breeders (ANCOS), based in Huéscar (Granada), has been recognized for its contribution to the conservation and genetic improvement of this breed
Currently ANCOS is made up of 250 livestock farmers, with the majority of these farms being family-owned.
Jumping to the Fishing modality, the company tarifeña Flour of Andalusia has risen with the award to the sustainability. In addition to the production of fish meal, this company has been betting on innovation and development and has been generating hydrolysed proteins and fish oils for animal feed from discards of fish products for three years.
In the category of innovative initiative has been awarded the Andalusian Pyme located in Isla Cristina Pescatun Isleña, dedicated mainly to the salzonera industry and canning industry. Thanks to the opening of a new center in Lepe has gone from handling some 500,000 kilos of tuna for mojama in the year 2000 to more than one million kilos in 2016, also incorporating new products.
The Malaga company Congelados Deca has won the bid for economic diversification. With a turnover close to 30 million euros, works in the most important fishing grounds in the world to select the best products in origin for their quality and freshness.
Finally, the three winners in the common modalities for Agriculture and Fisheries have been Picualia with the prize of certified quality, Agrarian Notebook with the award on diffusion and Federation of Association of Women El Despertar with the award on initiative of women.
Picualia is the result of the merger in 2009 of the agricultural cooperatives of Bailén and Virgen de Zocueca. Thanks to this business project, the current mill has a capacity of milling up to 30 million kilos of olives for processing and marketing of extra virgin olive oil. It also emphasizes its commitment to the latest technologies, maximum quality and implementation of international quality management and food safety systems that allow access to the most demanding markets in the world.
The Cuaderno Agrario television program, specialized in the agri-food sector, has been recognized for its work in the dissemination of news for professionals in the sector and the general public. Produced by Factor 3 Producciones, it offers timely information on the current Andalusian agriculture through the local television network of Ondaluz, regional reach, Huelva TV, in addition to other online platforms.
As for the women’s initiative category, the award has been made by the Federation of Women’s Associations El Despertar del Campo de Gibraltar, made up of eight associations and a total of 618 women, for its work in the region and its contribution to the presence of women in rural development.
Special mention ‘Miguel Manaute’
In this edition the Ministry of Agriculture has granted two special mentions ‘Miguel Manaute’, one posthumously to Manuel Peinado Fuentes (Tarifa), for his work at the head of the Andalusian Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, where he did an arduous work of modernization and adaptation of the cofradias, and, above all, by its impulse to the vertebración of the Andalusian fishing sector. The other mention has been for the Higher Technical School of Agronomic Engineering and Mountains of Córdoba, with about half a century of presence in Andalusia and for its commitment to the agrarian and agri-food sector.
The jury was composed of representatives of the Ministry of Agrarian Professional Organizations and Agri-food Cooperatives of Andalusia, as well as the Andalusian Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, the Andalusian Federation of Fisheries Associations, the Association of Andalusian Aquaculture Enterprises, the Association for Rural Development of Andalusia and the Association of Irrigation Communities.
Source: CAPDER
