Caracterización empresarial del cooperativismo de comercialización hortofrutícola de la Comunidad Valenciana: un análisis provincial

The agricultural co-operative system in the Valencian Community is a consolidated economic reality and a basic referent at a national level. Nowadays, the agricultural co-operative system in general, and the fruits and vegetables co-ops in particular, become a main element either in the market organization (mainly through the Agricultural Producers Organizations), or in the transfer of the added value of the different comercialization channels to producers. The specialized literature in this area has traditionally marked the existence of different models in the organization of the Valencian agricultural co-operative system, so the main object of this work is to analyze these potential differences in the managerial behaviour as well as the existence of different profitability in the established groups. Therefore we have selected a sample of co-operatives of Valencia and Castellón provinces for the 1988-89 to 1996-97 period (campaigns).