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Produce
EUROFRESH
DISTRIBUTION
Andalusia tropical coast :
a range of tropical fruits
Among the principal tropical fruits cultivated in the south of Spain are avocado,
mango, and cherimoya.
Though being called exotic, tropical
fruits are well-known on all the European
markets. While answering to
the question about the origin of the
tropical fruits, the consumer will usually
mention the countries of the South
America among the exporters, and
rarely mention the cultivation lands
of the Southern Europe, as they are
definitely less familiar to the average
consumer. The tropical coast placed
between the coastal line of Granada
and Malaga has a subtropical climate
suitable for the cultivation of tropical
fruits. In Spain, the plantations
dedicated to the cultivation of tropical
fruits cover approximately 11,500 hectares,
of which two thirds or almost 40
million Euros in terms of value fall on
avocado. The cultivation of cherimoya
represents 30 % of the surface and
values for 11 million Euros. It is necessary
to mention that Spain is the first
world producer of cherimoya and this
fruit has been cultivated here for more
than a century. Though, the current
Enrique Colilles,
Trops director
troPical Fruit
production of this fruit has registered
stagnation due to the low profitability.
Contrary to cherimoya, the cultivation
of mango and avocado on Granada
region littoral lands registers a stable
increasing tendency.
Cherimoya, a less-known fruit
of excellent characteristics
Although the cherimoya of the Tropical
Coast (the only Designation of Origin
fruit in Andalusia region) is bound to
be successful due to its excellent gustatory
characteristics, it is still a great
stranger on the market, as, according
to the Designation of Origin Regulatory
Council, four out of every ten Spaniards
are not familiar with this fruit. It is a
shocking fact, knowing that only 10% of
the total production is exported, while
the rest is commercialized on domestic
market. In 2002 there was registered a
PDO Cherimoya of Granada - Malaga
Tropical Coast, with the objective to
promote the high quality of its production
under Anona’s brand name.
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OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
2 0 0 8
There is registered a first
company dedicated to the online
sales of cherimoya.
Due to the creation of TeleChirimoya.
com, the first company that specializes
on the on-line sales of cherimoya cultivated
in the Tropical Coast of Granada,
it is possible from October 2008 to
order cherimoya in specially designed
boxes of 6 and 12 units.