The Minister of the Sea, Marta Villaverde, emphasized this Saturday that investment, innovation, and the modernization of the business fabric are essential to continue strengthening the competitiveness of the Galician marine-industry chain.
These statements were made during the inauguration of the expansion of the facilities of Mariscos Gilmar, located in Vilanova de Arousa.
Villaverde highlighted the evolution of this company, with more than four decades of history, dedicated to the transformation and marketing of octopus and with a notable international projection.
In this line, she stressed the importance of having a transformative industry capable of incorporating technology, optimizing its production processes, and advancing in the opening of new markets, thus contributing to raising the added value of marine products.
The head of the Sea also emphasized the commitment of the Xunta de Galicia to support business investments aimed at increasing productive capacity, improving process efficiency, and reinforcing quality and food safety.
The objective, they point out in a statement, is to facilitate that the Galician business fabric can continue modernizing and adapting to the demands of an increasingly competitive market.
In this context, Mariscos Gilmar was the beneficiary of a grant of 547,587 euros, co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (FEMPA), aimed at a project to improve the industrial building and optimize its production process.
The intervention involved a total investment of over 1.16 million euros and allowed progress in the updating and modernization of its infrastructures. The company also has another grant awarded this year amounting to 223,803 euros for an investment of 447,606 euros, aimed at additional actions in its transformation line.
Among the planned actions are measures for environmental efficiency, improvements in safety and hygiene conditions, new systems for controlling production processes, and investments in the organization and management of the facilities. Together, these two operations represent more than 771,000 euros of public support for initiatives that mobilize more than 1.6 million euros.