The Catalonian Fruit Business Association (Afrucat) and the Eurecat technology centre have concluded a strategic partnership to fast-track developing cutting-edge tech solutions which address the main challenges facing the fruit industry. The agreement also encompasses bringing new tech capabilities to businesses in this sector and specific training and talent development initiatives to bolster professional skills in the industry.
“Innovation to improve productivity is a key task in our fruit industry,” commented Montse Baró, chair of Afrucat.
To achieve this, the agreement will help devise, test and validate new tech solutions with a practical, scalable and results-oriented approach. It will also prioritise projects which are genuinely transformational and have the potential to be realistically and efficiently implemented by businesses.
“This agreement bolsters Eurecat’s commitment to assist with transforming the agri-food sector by pooling technological and industrial capabilities to undertake strategic projects with high added value,” added Xavier López, Eurecat’s Chief Operating and Corporate Officer.
“By harnessing the potential of technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence and biotechnology, we will help to make fruit enterprises more competitive, sustainable and resilient while positioning Catalonia as a European leader in agro-industrial innovation.”
Sector, regional and technological commitment
Under the agreement, Eurecat will support strategic projects, particularly from its Lleida site, to streamline processes, improve resource management efficiency and shift towards a more sustainable and decarbonised production model.
Joint work streams with Afrucat will include areas such as agricultural robotics, the circular bioeconomy, artificial intelligence and advanced sensor technology with direct applications in sweet fruit production systems.
“This partnership steps up our mission to support local businesses by providing them with our proprietary technology and applied knowledge to tackle complex challenges and cement a more efficient, resilient agro-industrial model built on distinctive technological capabilities,” noted Gabriel Anzaldi, Director of Ecosystems at Eurecat and head of its Lleida site.
“This alliance with Eurecat will be a driving force for quickening the pace of change in the fruit industry,” argued Manel Simon, CEO of Afrucat. “The Catalan fruit production system’s sustainability will depend heavily on our capacity for innovation in terms of products, processes and business organisation.”
Strategic technological initiatives
Joint developments between Afrucat and Eurecat will be gradually rolled out through research, development and demonstration projects for technologies and solutions. Priority will initially be given to process robotisation and automation on farms to bring about technological transformation in the industry.
The scope of action may be extended to other strategic or priority initiatives, such as end-to-end AI-based predictive management, smart water and energy management (including dual-use solar solutions), plant nutrition and health, the transition to circular, sustainable and decarbonised production models, and new emerging technologies.
This multi-year strategic partnership seeks to make the fruit sector more resilient and enhance the efficiency, adaptability and standout capabilities of the firms involved.
With this goal in mind, “Afrucat and Eurecat are committed to a long-term, strategic and results-oriented partnership designed to help position Catalonia as a leading hub for agri-food innovation on an international scale,” added Xavier López.
Leading organisations in sweet fruit and technology
Afrucat is one of Spain’s foremost business organisations in producing and marketing sweet fruit – apples, pears, peaches and nectarines – and one of the main players in the European industry. It brings together fruit companies and cooperatives from all over Catalonia with a strong footprint in Lleida, Tarragona and Girona and operates in production, quality, marketing, sales and market monitoring.
Meanwhile, the Eurecat technology centre generates proprietary knowledge and technologies to deliver solutions to strategic economic and social challenges. It implements transformational, leading-edge technologies, building relationships and partnerships which enable it to scale technological solutions with enterprises in various industries, thereby helping to transform the production base.
