The Technological Center of Palma del Río (Córdoba) has been this Friday the scene of a technical day focused on the refrigeration and preservation of citrus fruits, as well as on the options to incorporate new technological solutions in the horticultural centers of the Guadalquivir Valley. Citrus companies from the region, along with companies specialized in industrial cold and refrigeration integrated into the cold cluster, have attended the meeting.
According to the details provided by the Rural Development Group (GDR) of the Medio Guadalquivir, the event, organized by the GDR itself in collaboration with Palmanaranja and the Chair of Cold, has served to connect the demands of the citrus sector with the technological potential of the cold industry and with the scientific knowledge of the University of Córdoba (UCO).
The Chair of Cold, promoted by the Provincial Council of Córdoba, the City Council of Lucena, the GDR Subbética, AFAR, and the University of Córdoba, has among its goals to promote decarbonization and strengthen the competitiveness of the agro-industrial fabric.
The chosen format has been that of a working workshop, favoring direct contact and the exchange of experiences among the attendees. Throughout the session, the current state of refrigeration facilities, the systems used for the refrigeration and preservation of citrus fruits, the specific needs of the centers, and the range of options provided by new technologies have been reviewed. Issues such as energy consumption, reduction of operating costs, and the use of renewable energies have also been addressed.
As a main conclusion, the participating entities have proposed to launch a joint project to study in detail the real needs of the citrus sector of the Guadalquivir Valley through the monitoring of the facilities and processes of the horticultural centers. The aim is to detect opportunities for improvement and design technological solutions tailored to the particularities of each company.
This future project is expected to involve citrus companies, grouped in Palmanaranja; industrial cold and refrigeration companies, represented by AFAR and RefriCLIMA; and the University of Córdoba, through its Chair of Cold. The GDR Medio Guadalquivir would assume the role of promoter and coordinator of cooperation among all the agents.
The president of the GDR Medio Guadalquivir, Matilde Esteo, has emphasized the strategic value of this alliance, stating that "this meeting demonstrates the importance of putting our citrus sector in direct contact with the knowledge and technological capacity of the cold industry and the University. We continue to support Palmanaranja and our citrus sector, so that it becomes stronger and more competitive, both from the GDR and from the City Council of Palma del Río."
For his part, the president of Palmanaranja, Antonio Carmona, has recalled that "cold and preservation are fundamental processes for our sector. This workshop has allowed us to put our real needs on the table and understand the possibilities offered by the cold industry. Now we must work together to find solutions tailored to our plants."
In the same vein, the manager of AFAR and the Andalusian Cold Cluster (RefriCLIMA), Jesús Muñoz, has highlighted that "the cold industry has the capacity to provide technological solutions, but we need to know the specific needs of the companies. This meeting allows us to bring technology closer to the citrus sector and propose joint work based on real data."
Finally, the director of the Cold Chair of the University of Córdoba, Francisco Casares, has remarked that "this type of collaboration allows us to put scientific and technological knowledge at the service of the real needs of companies and advance towards solutions tailored to the processes of citrus plants."