The Governor's office and Grupo Grajales have begun work on structuring the financial model of a project to consolidate the creation of a Caribbean Fruit and Vegetable Center in the Malambo, in the deparment of Atlantico, which is expected to be ready in three months.
Grupo Grajales, a business group from the Valle del Cauca who saw a business opportunity in the department of Atlantico, presented this initiative to Governor Eduardo Verano de la Rosa in April last year. The proposal is that the Caribbean Fruit and Vegetable Center be located in the plant of Comexa Group and Colombina in the Oriental way.
The region's fruit will be collected, processed, and packed for marketing and export in the center. Initially, the center would work with mangoes, pineapples, and papaya for the domestic and international markets. Additionally, some of the fruits would be allocated for the processing industry.
"The eastern sub-region is rich in the production of fruits like mango and lemon, so we want to establish this processing plant to add value to everything that these lands produce. This would generate better incomes and direct and indirect labor," said Verano de la Rosa.
Governor Verano de la Rosa paid a visit to the producing farms and processing plants in the municipality of La Union, Valle del Cauca, as they work with the same model that Grupo Grajales seeks to replicate in Atlantico.
"We saw how they work under this system with different products, such as passion fruit and melon, and we want to apply it in the Atlantico for fruits that can be sent to international markets, such as the mango. We don't want to be only producers, we want to process the fruits, which is where the real money is. To do this, it's vital we establish logistical processes that structure this," said Verano.
Andres Mejia, Grupo Grajales' depositary manager, said that when the plant began operating in Atlantico, it would generate more than 200 direct and indirect jobs, especially in the agricultural sector.
He also said that the development of a project of this nature would allow producers to make full use of the region's agricultural products.
Source: elheraldo.co