The Balcón de Europa farming cooperative, dedicated solely to organic produce, expects to increase output this year by around 27%.
There are only two cooperatives operating in Nerja, the Bálcon de Europa and Maro Coamar, but only the Bálcon de Europa is involved in organic farming, complying to the strict requirements laid down by the Andalucían Committee for Organic Farming (CADE).
The Balcón de Europa cooperative was formed in 1995 and has thirty members, all dedicted exclusively to organic farming methods. They produce tomatoes, cucumbers, Chinese cabbage, peppers, sweet potatoes, broccoli, avocado and mango, much of which is exported to various parts of Europe. In fact, 95% of the produce goes abroad to countries such as the UK, Germany, Holland, France and Denmark. Spain, as yet, is not as ‘environmentally aware’ as some of its European counterparts.
The price of the organic products tends to be about 40% higher than for conventional products. Avocados, for example, sell at around €1.50 per kilo for ‘conventionally grown’ and at €1.90 per kilo for ‘Organic’, or ‘Green’ as they are known.