In this edition, the chain estimates a 10% increase in production destined for fresh sale, which will be distributed in all of the chain's supermarkets on the island.
The agreement was signed with eight farmers from the municipality and will be in effect for the next four months.
The SPAR Gran Canaria supermarket chain signed its collaboration agreement this Wednesday, for the fourth consecutive year, with eight farmers in Valleseco to promote the sale and consumption of reineta apples grown in the municipality. This initiative will allow for the sale and distribution of approximately eight tons of this product in the chain's supermarkets on the island.
The Reinette apple season has returned to its usual schedule this year. Farmers began harvesting the apples in the last week of September, making the product available to consumers from early October until early next year in SPAR supermarkets in Gran Canaria.
During the last campaign, a total of 7.800 kilos of the product were sold, a figure that is expected to increase by another 10% this year for fresh production. As a result of this ongoing effort, Valleseco has planted more than 24.000 apple trees, after starting the project with an initial 5.000.
With this agreement, SPAR Gran Canaria reaffirms its commitment to the primary sector for another year, ensuring the purchase of produce at fair prices and maintaining quality, zero-mile products. Furthermore, the agreement allows for support for local farmers in the municipality to continue boosting the rural economy.
Likewise, continuing the initiative from previous years, SPAR Gran Canaria will make its facilities in Mercalaspalmas available to growers to facilitate the storage of Reineta apples. Thanks to this infrastructure, they will be able to organize larger, less frequent harvests, keeping the fruit in cold storage, ensuring its freshness and optimal preservation for longer.
Institutional support of the agreement
This year, the agreement was formalized at the Valleseco Auditorium and was attended by the president of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Antonio Morales; the island's Primary Sector Councilor, Miguel Antonio Hidalgo; the director of the Canary Islands Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA), Luis Arráez; the first deputy mayor of Valleseco, María Inmaculada Herrera; the president of COAG Canarias, María del Carmen Pérez; and the vice president of SPAR Gran Canaria, José López, accompanied by several executives from the chain.
The president of the Island Council, Antonio Morales, emphasized that island development programs like this one, in collaboration with the sector and public and private entities, "allow for improved food sovereignty quotas and dignify the work of the women and men who work in the primary sector in Gran Canaria."
"Unlike the regional level, where the cultivated area has decreased by more than 5%, on the island it has increased by more than 8%, according to the Canary Islands Government's 2021 cultivation data," he explained. In this regard, the island president also highlighted that Gran Canaria is the island with the largest area under fruit tree cultivation and that the island's self-consumption quotas, according to data from Mercalaspalmas, are around 35% of the island's marketed fruit."
For his part, ICCA Director Luis Arráez emphasized that "the growing interest in this crop, especially in Gran Canaria, is enabling the development of quality products such as cider, a product that has been incorporated into the Official Agrocanarias Competitions, organized each year by the ICCA to recognize the best products from the islands." He also highlighted the recognition of these products in international competitions held outside the archipelago and asserted that "for apple cultivation and its associated products to become established, it is essential to have a firm commitment from distribution to local products."
"For Valleseco, apples have always been its flagship project, and this governing group, over the years, has been promoting them. There is a firm commitment to promoting this emblematic agricultural product, integrating it as an essential part of our local economic development," emphasized First Deputy Mayor Inmaculada Herrera.
In this regard, he acknowledged SPAR Gran Canaria's commitment to marketing Canarian products and, in particular, to the current and future distribution of the Reineta apple. "The idea is to continue coordinating public action with private ownership, counting on our farmers, who have been and continue to be the true driving force of the municipality's primary sector," he added.
SPAR Gran Canaria's vice president, José López, emphasized that "the renewal of this agreement allows us to continue offering local products to our customers and guarantee the sustainability of the Valleseco reineta apple," a fruit that is considered part of the local identity and contributes to the local economy.
He also highlighted the chain's efforts, which seek to contribute to the economies of farmers and their families by ensuring competitive prices in the market. "Price shouldn't be an issue. Our goal is to strengthen the viability of the crop and guarantee an affordable, quality product without causing a loss to those who produce it or a burden to those who consume it," he explained.
Finally, María del Carmen Pérez stated that "the future of the agricultural sector in the Canary Islands depends on producers being able to obtain, through the market, prices that allow us to cover our production costs," highlighting the high quality of the crops.
In this regard, he explained that agreements like this one, reached with the SPAR chain, and the support of the Island Council and the Canary Islands Government, provide farmers with stability, guarantees that the product will be valued, and visibility among the island's population. "It's a complete success, and a model that we must continue to try to expand to new agricultural and livestock products," he concluded.
About SPAR Gran Canaria
SPAR Gran Canaria is the only supermarket chain with 100% Canarian capital, present in all 21 municipalities on the island. In a total of 201 stores and through its online sales channel, SPAR Gran Canaria offers top-quality fresh local produce. The chain remains the sales leader in the fruit and vegetable category and a leading food company thanks to its friendly service, quality, and personalized attention.
