The AL-INVEST Verde programme is an economic cooperation project between the European Union and Latin America that aims to promote sustainable development and competitiveness in enterprises, with a specific focus on supporting SMEs that seek to implement sustainable practices in their production processes and improve their access to international markets.

In the case of Chile, the programme is focused on promoting innovation and green entrepreneurship, as well as fostering competitiveness and access to new and increasingly demanding markets for SMEs.

Within the framework of this programme, Eurochile was awarded the project called “Chilean-European Alliance for the green transition in MSMEs in the fruit sector and their Business Organisations”, whose role will be that of leader and which will be implemented together with two European partners -Promos Italy and Agropolis International of France- and whose objective is to ensure that Chilean fruit MSMEs and their Business Organisations (BOS) move towards more sustainable and circular agri-food systems, becoming more efficient in the use of resources, reducing waste generation and becoming more competitive and prepared to meet new sustainability demands from the market.

On Wednesday 24 May at 15:00 hrs in the Cultural and Civic Centre of Lolol, O’Higgins Region, the launch of the AL- INVEST Green Fruit programme took place. During the event, the mayor of the commune of Lolol and the executive director of Eurochile addressed the public highlighting the importance of the implementation and execution of the project and the work with farmers in the area. Also, the national and European exhibitors presented the details of the programme, milestones and its scope as well as the strategies to be followed to promote a more environmentally responsible sector.

In this regard, José Aravena, executive director of Eurochile Business Foundation, says that, “With Agrololol we are going to sign a cooperation agreement to work with the group of producers, with the aim of starting a transition towards a more sustainable and circular production. We are going to put our best efforts and equipment, but you are the actors and the first group with whom we are going to develop the first part of the programme”.

Similarly, José Alfredo Román, Mayor of Lolol, said that, “We are very happy to be able to host this alliance that has to do with linking Chile with the European Union with the aim of being able to innovate and strengthen agriculture in the region and join a more circular economy. In addition, we have the possibility of being able to draw on the good experience from other perspectives and the vision that European experts can share with us“.

In this context, the main actors of this project will be the fruit MSMEs organised in cooperatives or other associative forms of the fruit sectors of the regions of O’Higgins, Bio Bío and Los Lagos, which is why it will work with companies, authorities and public bodies interested in supporting the sustainable development of this sector, as well as trade organisations and private sector production groups.

In this regard, Rodrigo Silva, project manager in the area of Sustainability and Circular Economy at Eurochile, explains that, “The main objective of the programme is that with our team of specialists we can lead SMEs and SOs in the agricultural sector to move towards a more sustainable and circular agriculture, so that they can face the ups and downs of the market, especially the European market, which has a carbon neutral policy by 2050, so they demanded that their farmers implement and leave aside practices that are not very sustainable“.

Eurochile’s Sustainability and Circular Economy team, responsible for carrying out the project’s activities, will visit the Biobío and Los Lagos regions on Thursday and Friday 26th May to carry out activities and workshops together with European experts who will present different approaches and new trends that are being used on the other side of the continent in the area of fruit growing.

About AL-INVEST Verde

AL-INVEST Verde is a European Union (EU) programme whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 1, led by sequa, the programme manages funds for the implementation of innovative small business partnership projects to boost sustainable practices in the private sector.

Further information: www.alinvest-verde.eu

Contact

For more information about the event write to rsilva@eurochile.cl or call 2 2787 8409.