From Ribatejo's Lezíria to the plates of consumers "all over the world", the products bearing the Monliz label thus demonstrate "the best that our country has to offer: the quality of the soil, the farmers and even the climate", argues the managing director.
Our products speak for themselves: we have managed to get our customers - the big distribution chains and industrial units - to recognize the quality of the vegetables from the Tagus and Lezíria basins," he says.
The experience consolidated over more than four decades of activity has also helped Monliz prepare for the "economic challenges" that have been felt "particularly strongly" in recent years, argues Mauro Cardoso, who admits to having "moderate optimism" about the evolution of the business in 2023.
Acknowledging that recent times "haven't been easy", he stresses that the "underlying problems that most affect our business go back a long way, to before the pandemic, the inflation crisis and the war". Climate change is to blame, which favors the "occurrence of extreme phenomena that are very damaging to our business," laments Mauro Cardoso.
At the same time, he adds, the sustainability policies responsible for banning the use of certain molecules in crop protection treatments "have put a lot of pressure on the profitability" of these crops, making it difficult "to contract the volumes needed to supply the market".
The scarcity of water resources and the consequent "competition for water" are other factors that, in the opinion of Monliz's managing director, condition activity in the agricultural sector. "In relation to Spain, for example, the lack of water is not as severe as on the other side of the border, which has allowed us to attract investment in monocultures such as almonds, olive groves and vines," crops that are "taking away growing space from vegetables," he points out.
Assuming the commitment to seek "to be increasingly efficient, with less impact on the environment" and placing itself alongside the consumer "in their search for healthier and more sustainable food", Monliz is also moving towards a horizon of ever greater "technological innovation", emphasizes the company's general director, who also highlights the "important contribution of Altice as a telecommunications partner" so that Monliz remains at the "forefront of the business".