SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 30th Aug (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Tenerife Island Council, through the Primary Sector and Animal Welfare department, is allocating 250,000 euros to support flower and plant producers via the Association of Growers and Exporters of Flowers and Live Plants of the Canary Islands (Asocan), aimed at fostering sustainable agronomic innovation.
Councillor Valentín González notes that Asocan, during its more than forty years of operation, “has broadened its focus to include other agricultural sectors such as fruit nurseries and the production of aromatic plants for export.”
Currently, the association comprises 93 members, all self-employed individuals and small to medium-sized enterprises, distributed across all the islands but with the largest concentration in Tenerife, where over 60 companies engaged in the production of plants and flowers, including aromatic plants for export, are affiliated.
The Cabildo de Tenerife, recognising the significant role of this association in the island’s agricultural and livestock sectors, has incorporated a specific subsidy within the budgetary framework for 2024. This aid, amounting to 250,000 euros, is designated for “sustainable agronomic innovation in the flower and plant production sector”, primarily targeting technological advancements in irrigation, fertilisation, substrates, and sustainable packaging.
“The plants and flowers subsector in Tenerife has played a critical role over the last 50 years. It currently consists of more than 60 farms situated across the island, generating a turnover of around 30 million euros, which accounts for over 70% of the overall subsector in the Canary Islands, collectively worth 40 million euros. This establishes Tenerife as the island with the highest significance in this subsector within the archipelago. Furthermore, many of the innovations witnessed in the primary sector stem from the plants and flowers subsector, renowned for its dynamism, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit,” emphasizes Valentín González.
ONE OF THE MOST AFFECTED SECTORS DURING THE PANDEMIC
The councillor highlights that the Tenerife plants and flowers subsector “has found considerable penetration through associations, which are well-experienced in management, coordination, and aid administration, boasting significant technical expertise”.
González added that the flower and plant sector was one of the agricultural subsectors “most adversely affected” by the repercussions of the pandemic throughout 2020 and 2021.
“This predicament halted the income for farmers and agricultural businesses involved in this activity, leading to the suspension of payments and collections between suppliers and clients, with payment obligations being violated in several instances due to exceptionally challenging circumstances. All of this has resulted in a substantial reduction of the subsector’s productive capacity and certainly its ability to recover once the state of alarm has concluded,” he remarked.
The Minister for the Primary Sector also recalled that during 2022 and 2023, there was a notable surge in the transport of goods and an overall rise in costs, which has considerably diminished the profitability of this subsector.
