Increasing interest in speciality varieties BonnySA plans £90m packhouse programme Vast tracts of land have already been cleared at Muchamial north of the Alicante, heartland of the Spanish tomato industries, in the first stage towards establishing a 30,000 sq m super packhouse by the industry's largest producer BonnySA. Costing a staggering £90m, it will be operational in 18 months' time and be capable of handling more than 10 million cartons of salad and speciality tomatoes. Its current smaller sites, both nearby and some two hours' drive further south in Murcia and Almeria, will close. The new facility will also become a final selection inspection and transhipment point for a further four million trays grown and packed in Tenerife. Historically this fruit has been sent direct to the UK and the continent but according to director Jorge Brotons a deterioration in the regularity of shipping services and the need for tighter distribution and quality control has led to this change of strategy. Brotons is also keen to explore the potential for shipping more of its Spanish fruit through the summer period, developing the 12 months' continuity it has already achieved in a limited way. However, he realistically accepts that the peak of the season will always be the winter and spring months. Meanwhile BonnySA's production is continuing to expand using the latest computerised technology. This includes automatic feeding and temperature control in semi rigid structures which are now a far cry from traditional open air and plastic covered production. By next year its mainland nurseries will have risen from the current 464 hectares to 529 hectares while the Canaries will also have increased from 168 to 190 hectares. {{FRESH PRODUCE }}

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