The Catalan pork sector produces 1 million 600 thousand tonnes per year. 65% is exported. They are the data of a report promoted by the Generalitat that has been presented in Olot, during the extraordinary general assembly of INNOVACC, the cluster that groups 47% of the companies of pork meat industry of Catalonia. During the assembly, the Strategic Plan 2016 was presented to 2,019. Among the objectives to be achieved is increasing exports in overcrowded regions such as Asia or India, or improving the sustainability of the sector.
The proportion of pork in Catalonia grew by 6.8% between 2008 and 2013 according to the latest available data, achieving a turnover of 6.1 billion euros. It is one of the main conclusions of a study promoted by the Generalitat through ACTION and that has been presented in Olot during the general assembly of the cluster INNOVACC, the Catalan association of innovation of the pork meat sector.
At the same meeting, INNOVACC presented its Strategic Plan 2016-2019 which sets out the main challenges to be addressed in the coming years. They emphasize, for example, the need to be more transparent with customers and consumers and to offer more information about the product throughout the production chain; Offer healthier products, highlighting their nutritional properties; Boost products with greater added value such as gourmet products or improve the sustainability of the sector. Also take advantage of new export options to overpopulated countries, strategic markets such as Asia or India.
The pigmeat cluster currently has 84 partners, between companies and institutions. In the last year eight new companies have been incorporated. The INNOVACC manager, Eudald Casas, said that there are already two farms in Osona that run a greenhouse where the manure is dried using solar energy. This was a pilot test that began in mid-2014 and is now operational after being validated by the administration. Now we are working to further refine this system. On the one hand, you want to mechanize the drying process. On the other, they are studying to take advantage of the remaining residue in this whole drying process to mix it with pellet in a biomass boiler.
