This is explained by Luis Miguel Peregrín, president of AgritechMurcia, in the forecasts for 2025, which opens as a year of international challenges of the first level.
In countries such as Mexico, Mauritania, Uzbekistan and California (USA) maintain strong relationships with companies and public administrations that require the latest technology and specific training for large agricultural producers in each territory.
AgritechMurcia opens new horizons in countries such as the Philippines, Iraqi Kurdistan or Mauritania by 2025, territories that demand agricultural technology and biotechnology from the Murcian business ecosystem due to its quality and international prestige. This is explained by Luis Miguel Peregrín, president of AgritechMurcia, in the forecasts for this period that opens as a year of international challenges of first level.
Food and agriculture, in particular, have become strategic productions for the major countries of the world in view of the new geopolitical scenarios.
In places like Mexico, Mauritania, Uzbekistan or California (USA), AgritechMurcia maintain strong relationships, according to Luis Miguel Peregrín, with companies and public administrations that require the latest technology and specific training for large agricultural producers in each territory.
What is your assessment of the year 2024 in AgritechMurcia?
Expectations are rising year after year. Visiting and working on more countries. In 2024 we have had actions in Mexico, Mauritania and Uzbekistan. These are the countries we have on the horizon right now. Especially Uzbekistan, we have already worked with them, we have done field consultancies. We see a fairly good continuity. Relations are getting stronger and we believe there is a good potential, both for the country and for the needs that arise.
In 2024 we were at Fruit Attraction, where we always take the opportunity to make contacts with other countries. We have some agreements with the Mauritanian government and we are waiting for a collaboration with the Spanish government to be able to carry out some studies in some areas that have been proposed to us, and to be able to put them under irrigation.
What are AgritechMurcia’s main activity forecasts for 2025?
The forecasts are focused on continuing with these 3 countries. Strengthen our presence in Uzbekistan; there are already agreements with one of the group’s large-scale irrigation distribution companies. Wait for the Mauritania issue to come up. By 2025, horizons have been opened up in the Philippines and Iraqi Kurdistan. We are also maintaining relations with California after their visit to Murcia a couple of years ago, and in June we are going to return the visit with many of the companies of Agritech Murcia to see the reality there. This year we have DATA AGRI in Murcia where we are going to strengthen links and contacts and we are strengthening relations with organizations with Proexport. The objective is to be able to expand our contacts with Murcian and Spanish producers. We continue to participate in the most important international fairs and we have just returned from Fruit Logistica, one of the most important fairs in the world. We had a stand where we were able to strengthen our international contacts.
What challenges would you highlight for this business ecosystem that is experiencing a moment of consolidation and implementation in the sector?
The challenges tend to be language issues, above all. We have to solve them with countries like Uzbekistan because these territories do not speak English and you have to go to Russian to be able to talk to them.
When there is good will these issues are solved. We have no borders, as a group we are in contact with any country in the world that may need us.
A challenge is also to compete with international players that are established in many of these countries. We are not alone in this market; we have major competitors such as China and Turkey.
We, as an association, have a fairly wide field available. The companies have sufficient capacity to ensure that this does not stop and we have resources for any eventuality. Besides, we receive the support that INFO gives us in terms of actions. And from there, invest more in marketing, promotion, make noise at international level. In this market there are countries that have direct support from their governments, such as Holland and Israel, with which we are often confronted because they have more time and more support. We want to carve out a niche for ourselves, and even with some difficulties, we continue with enthusiasm.
What line of work will you be pursuing in the countries where you are already active?
In Mexico we are in contact with the state water mission of the state of Guanajuato, where we were in 2024. We visited the areas where they want to modernize the facilities, an irrigation area of more than 11,000 hectares, with a very bad distribution and large water losses. We are looking for a way to strengthen the relationship. They want us to help them and we are looking for resources that will allow us, little by little, to improve. It is a challenge for us, a project that we are very interested in. In Uzbekistan we will continue with commercial initiatives and training. The latter is one of the strengths that we have been developing, as well as the transformation of the crop to improve yields. In Mauritania, we presented the agronomic development plan for the Kaedi region. We are managing this project in order to carry out feasibility studies to implement it. It is a very interesting area. They have the Senegal river nearby, but they lack general distribution infrastructures.
Will you open new frontiers of collaboration in other countries?
We attend to all those who call us and we have open lines. In the case of Iraqi Kurdistan, it has always been committed to agricultural development. We are going to take advantage of this contact to see what can be done; we are organizing a trip to see it in person, which is the best way to see in situ what we can offer to adapt it to their needs.
In California we have great expectations. It is one of the most important agricultural states in the USA, although it has a rather weak technology, we believe there is great potential with our cutting-edge technology.
You have been present at the main international fairs of the sector, Berlin and Madrid, what would you highlight from each of them?
At Fruit Attraction we did very well with the guests we had. This year we are going to ask for an enlargement of the stand because more companies of the group want to participate. It is a very intense fair and it is growing every year.
We are still committed to Berlin, because of its international appeal. Maybe one day the Madrid Fair can be at the same international level.
What are the return figures for AgritechMurcia’s partners?
It is difficult to quantify because in AgritechMurcia there are companies of different sizes, small, medium and a bit bigger. There is good harmony, even with the different sizes and billings. We have seen a strengthening of the sector. With Covid, the sector has been sinking quite a lot. The greenhouse sector has been a little weak this year. In terms of irrigation, it has continued to grow. The idea is very positive, that is why more and more companies are joining every year, even companies from outside the region are requesting it.
Why should companies from different areas of the Agro sector join AgritechMurcia?
Since we started this adventure, it has been a good one. Most of the companies that have been with us since the beginning, and there are quite a few of us, have been with us since the beginning. There are others that have been joining us. The feeling we have is quite good, because we are getting along well, although sometimes we are competitors, we are not among ourselves, our competition is outside. We know that it is a marathon race. We have to dose our strength, but we also know that there is a goal and that we can reach it. We have to enhance what is good and common to all. On a personal level, companies have seen an increase in their turnover, depending on the sector in which they are involved. The balance is positive. The association is a very good tool for small companies that have few resources to internationalize because, with little contribution, they are doing a good job that can attract missions, contacts and potential clients. This is what we are encouraging. We try to be fair with the contributions we make to the association, with a prorate based on each one’s turnover.
