The European Union’s project “More Competitive Cooperatives and SMEs” supported AGEXPORT’s Berries Committee to increase the productivity and competitiveness of small and medium agriculture enterprises with advisory sessions and training on selection of new berry varieties.

With this project, AGEXPORT expects companies to be able to obtain new varieties of berries, which will adapt and reproduce easily under the correct agriculture and climate conditions while also responding to the current demand of international buyers. Among other characteristics, these new berries will have to be on food habits of international buyers, have long shelf life, sweetness, size and other attributes favorable for production, commercialization and export.

Several small and medium companies were trained on the characteristics needed on the land to grow these new varieties of berries, as well as the ideal profile of agriculture producer to be responsible to implement the application of agriculture supplies, with technical advisory of AGEXPORT’s Berries Committee. In the future, those agriculture workers would be expected to be part of a special certification program on food safety.

The agriculture workers count with special information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the protocols needed to be in place. As well, they continue receiving technical assistance through different digital tools to continue their work keeping of track of plants. Experimental projects are planned to start son as well.