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Published: 21/10/2019 The Consortium
The need for the existence of a powerful, business-oriented shareholder group in the country’s agricultural sector was the incentive for the creation of an agency able to create connections between the critically important, strategic partners that are active in this field: The primary sector, the financial sector and the technological sector.
In this context, in February 2014, GAIA EPICHEIREIN (GAIA, www.c-gaia.gr) was established, its shareholders being 39 Agricultural Cooperatives, Excelixi SA, a subsidiary of the Piraeus Bank Group, a leader in the provision of banking services to the agricultural sector, and NEUROPUBLIC S.A, a company with long and extensive experience in software development for the agricultural sector.
The strategic priority of GAIA is to strengthen its productive base through the entry of new agricultural cooperatives in its shareholder structure. For this purpose, the share capital of GAIA was increased in 2015 to enable the admission of additional agricultural cooperatives. At present, 71 strong agricultural cooperatives participate in the paid-up share capital of GAIA, valued at 1.153 million euros, covering 35% of its value.
The 71 agricultural cooperatives – shareholders of GAIA are among the most important in the country in terms of range of activities, turnover (707 million euros in 2014) and number of member – farmers (over 152,000 producers). The objectives of GAIA include, among others, the provision of investment consulting and services to the agricultural sector, as well as the protection and strengthening of the pursuits of agricultural cooperatives for the development of solid agricultural and cooperative entrepreneurship.
The implementation of these pursuits is based on the nationwide network of Farmer Service Centres (FSCs) developed by GAIA in cooperation with powerful agricultural cooperatives throughout the country, making the agency the main service provider for farmers and their organisations at the national level.
Website: https://www.c-gaia.gr/