OREANDA-NEWS. October 15, 2014. Repsol held the First Repsol Agro Seminar that dealt with the status of the agri-food sector in Spain as well as the innovative solutions designed by the company for this industry.

The event, which took place on 30 September and 1 October, was held at the Repsol Campus in Madrid with 300 representatives from the agri-food industry and agricultural cooperatives in Spain.

The objective of this First Repsol Agro Seminar was to create a debate forum to favour the exchange of knowledge and enable the study – with the help of recognised experts in the field – of the new socio-economic backdrop that has come about since the Cooperative Integration Law and the Common Agricultural Policy 2014–2020 have taken effect. To this end, two round tables were held to discuss the implications, the changes and the scope of the two new legislations with respect to affected actors.

The agri-food sector represents a growing proportion of the manufacturing industry, where it holds 22% of the total and this fact was emphasised during this seminar. One of the other aspects highlighted was the importance of the cooperative movement, since despite the crisis, cooperatives have managed to increase their turnover and retain employment.

Leading authorities from the agri-food sector attended the event, such as the Executive Managing Director of Agricultural Productions and Markets, Fernando Miranda, and the Executive Managing Director of Food Industry, Fernando J. Burgaz.

Furthermore, top executives from Repsol’s business units related to agri-food also took part in the seminar, explaining the innovative solutions that the company holds for the sector in areas such as service stations, LPG, direct sales, lubricants, specialised products and chemicals.

During the closing session of the event, the Executive Managing Director of Commercial, Chemicals and Gas & Power, Nemesio Fernandez-Cuesta, expressed "Repsol’s hope that this seminar represents the first of many and that it has served the purpose of transmitting the value of differentiation, specialisation and adaptation in its proposals through research, development and commitment".

Repsol, over 50 years in the agricultural sector

Repsol has historically been closely tied and committed to the agri-food sector, where the company has had a presence for over half a century, offering products and services that are specific to the industry. To carry out this work, it collaborates with different representatives that serve as a reference for the industry, such as equipment manufacturers, producers and suppliers, among others.

The company has a clear commitment to this sector, for which it manufactures high quality and environmentally friendly products. It offers a wide range of products including oils, diesel oils, lubricants, specialised products, fertilisers, and plastics among other things that are always designed under the same framework of added value based on research and technology as sources of differentiation.

To take on this task, Repsol relies on the Repsol Technology Centre (RTC), located in Mostoles, where over 400 researchers work to develop products that are specific to the field, among other projects. Thanks to this work, the company offers state-of-the-art products such as "active packaging" that allows fruit to stay fresh and in perfect condition longer, or next-generation plastics for greenhouses. The research centre also develops new innovative products such as biodegradable plastics.