The growth of pistachio in Spain enters a new phase. After the sharp increase in the cultivated area in recent years, the great challenge now is to have sufficient industrial capacity to transform this production with technology, traceability and high added value. With this objective, Agróptimum has inaugurated in Villanueva de la Jara (Cuenca) what it considers the most advanced pistachio processor in Europe.
The plant begins its activity with the capacity to process 2,000 tons per year and it could reach 15,000 in the coming years, equivalent to about half of the national production planned for the end of the decade.
Growth
Spain currently has about 90,000 hectares of pistachio and produces around 11,000 tons of nuts. The sector’s forecasts point to 26,500 tons in 2030 and more than 55,000 in 2035, which makes it essential to expand the transformation capacity to maintain added value within the country.
During the inauguration, the CEO of Agróptimum, Ángel Minaya, summarized the company’s commitment: “Europe is the main consumer of pistachio in the world and needs a supplier that offers proximity, traceability, quality and guarantees.”
The new infrastructure completes a vertical integration model that controls the entire value chain, from genetic improvement and certified plant production to agronomic management, processing and marketing. This system allows us to guarantee complete traceability of the product from the nursery to the final consumer.
Innovation constitutes one of the pillars of the project. The plant incorporates optical sorting systems using AI, laser sorting, industrial automation and digital batch-to-batch traceability, while in the field the company uses precision agriculture based on sensors and AI to optimize the use of water, fertilizers and phytosanitary products.
The project will also have a direct impact on rural employment. The new facility will generate 70 additional jobs that will be added to the more than 160 qualified jobs that the company maintains in the region, reinforcing the economic development of an area affected by depopulation.
During the event, the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, described the initiative as “an exceptional project” and said that with the company’s expansion “an entire region also grows.”
With this investment, Agróptimum not only expands its industrial capacity, but also positions Spain to compete in a European market where quality, sustainability, food safety and traceability are already factors as decisive as agricultural production.