History

Ailimpo's Presentation

AILIMPO stands for Lemon's and Grapefruit's Interprofessional Association. It is constituted as an organization which gathers representatives from all economic activities related to the production, trade and transformation of the lemon and grapefruit in Spain; with the objective of the vertebration of the sector and to defend the general interests of it in order to promote the contact and cohesion between producers, traders, exporters and transformers of lemon and grapefruit in Spain. The creation of this interprofessional association comes from the efforts, the anxiety and the vision of future of people who are working for a number of products that have been traditionally pigeonholed in the group of citrics, but that are characterized for having a number of features in their production, trade and consumption different from those of oranges and smaller citrics.

Establishment, recognition and composition

AILIMPO was established as a legal entity in Murcia on the 5th August 1998. It is a founder member of the Small Farmers' Union (UPA) and the Spanish Agricultural Co-operatives Confederation (CCAE) as representatives of the production, the Thader Citric Association (ASOCITHADER) and the CCAE as representatives of the commercialisation of fresh products, and the Spanish Association of Citrics' Juice Companies (AIZCE) as representative of the industrialization of the products. After this, Ailimpo has been incorporated to the COAG-IR and ASAJA as agrarian professional organizations that fit into the production section and the Citrics Management Committee that fits into the trade section. It is important to point out that AILIMPO's wish and intention is to englobe the highest number of organizations of this sector in order to reinforce even more its role as an interprofessional organization in charge of defending the interests of lemons and grapefruits in all parts of the cycle: production, trade and transformation.

Once gathered all the requirements needed according to the law and being favourably informed by unanimity the Agricultural Interprofessional Organizations General Board, AILIMPO was recognised as an Agricultural Interprofessional Organization (OIA) by Ministerial Order the 27th November 1998. After this, on the 18th March 1999 the Ministerial Order by which AILIMPO is recognised as an Interprofessional Organization according to the requirements established by the Regulations (CE) nº2200/96 is published. In this way the formal procedures related to its establishment and official recognition by the different administrations finishes. It is now when AILIMPO turns into an entity of consultation and official collaboration in the three Agricultural Administrations: The European Union one, the Spanish one, and the one constituted by the Regional Administrations of Andalusia, Valencia and Murcia.

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Degree of implantation and representation

Three professions or branches constitute AILIMPO: production, commercialisation of fresh products and transformation. The article 2c) of the Royal Decree 705/1997, of 16 th May is the one that approves de Regulation of the Law 38/1994, from the 30th December, which regulates Agricultural Interprofessional Organizations; it establishes that the degree of significant implantation of an OIA must be of, at least, 35% of the affected productions in each one of the professional branches. In the case of AILIMPO, this minimum level is highly surpassed, even though it is necessary to insist again on the objective of attempting to reach the highest representation possible in order to benefit all companies that operate with lemons and grapefruits and its derivates. Regarding the representation of each one of the member organizations, all members have unanimously decided about the different levels in the way you can see below.

Production Organizations:

1. Agricultural Professional Organizations
   As said earlier, the following are members within their rights at AILIMPO, the Small Farmers Union (UPA), The Farmers' Organizations Coordinating Committee - Rural Initiative (COAG-IR) and the Young Farmer's Association (ASAJA).
   
   It is difficult to delimitate the representation and degree of implantation of the agricultural interprofessional organizations, even more when the elections processes they have to adjust themselves to never have a sectorial character and even less the product. However, the role that they play defending the general interests of the farmers and the lemons' and grapefruits' producers is unchallengeable. T hese agricultural interprofessional organizations are the only ones who can assume the representativity of those producers non-members of OPC's; and it is important to remember that according to the data given by the Transformed Lemon Products Monitoring Committee, that between 40% and 70% of the signed up tons for industrialization, come from farmers not associated to any OPC´s.
2. Organizations representing Citric Producers Organizations
   After the approval of the Regulation (CE) nº 2200/96 from the Board which establishes the common organization of markets in the fruits and vegetables sector, the citrics producers' organizations are configured as a basic element in the organization of the common market for lemons and grapefruits, and because they are configured as production units, its presence in the interprofessional organization is indisputable within the production profession or branch.
   
   The Spanish Agricultural Cooperatives Confederation (CCAE) is the only organisation which represents OPC´s.
   
   

Trade and Industry representative Organizations:

1. Trade of Fresh Products and manipulation Organizations
   These organizations represent those companies whose activity consists in the manipulation, conservation and commercialisation of lemons and grapefruits for its consumption as fresh product. The business organisations which hold this activity in AILIMPO are: CCAE, ASOCITHADER and the Citrics Management Committee.
   
2. Transformation representative organizations
   AIZCE, the Spanish Association of Citrics' Juice Companies, is the association that holds all the industries dedicated to the transformation of lemons and grapefruits into juices.

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