Ministry and horticultural organizations study the elaboration of a Strategic Plan for the fruit of bone

The Secretary General of Agriculture and Food, Carlos Cabanas, held a meeting with the representative organizations of the fruit and vegetable sector on October 10th, at MAPAMA headquarters, to present the program of work planned by the Department for the elaboration of a Plan Strategic for the sweet fruit sector.

This plan, which is scheduled to close before the end of the year, is a commitment that the sector, the Autonomous Communities and the Ministry agreed during the recent campaign of bone fruit, with the aim of facing future campaigns in better conditions.

The Secretary General recalled that the sector is facing both supply and demand problems, which must be analyzed in depth by the working group, to reach a consensus diagnosis between all parties. For this purpose a specific meeting on bone fruit will be convened on October 27th, and another later, to discuss the fruit of the seed.

The diagnosis will focus on the most effective measures of a structural and non-cyclical nature, and the Ministry may prepare a proposal to improve the situation of the sector.

Cabanas has also announced, on 19th October, an event to present the work program, within the framework of the Fruit Attraction Fair, with the presence of the Head of the Fruit and Vegetable Unit of the European Commission

Finally, he stressed the need for all actors involved in the sector to be involved in the preparation of the diagnosis and the debate on the measures required, in order to seek long-term solutions.

An Interprofessional for the fruit of bone

In a meeting held by representatives of ASAJA with the director general of Productions and Agricultural Markets of MAPAMA, Fernando Miranda, and with the Assistant Director-General for Fruits and Vegetables, Ignacio Atance, to analyze the serious crisis that is going through the sector of the sweet fruit in Spain, the agrarian organization has demanded the Ministry to promote the creation of an International Organization for this sector.

The objective of this Interprofessional would be to transform the bone fruit sector and to improve the knowledge, efficiency and transparency of the markets

In this sense, ASAJA considers it necessary to increase the promotion of this type of fruit through actions directed to highlight the quality of the product. Also in the medium term, ASAJA defends the need to establish a plan for pre-retirement and withdrawal of the sector, with the start of plantations and control of new plantations, both in hectares and varieties, with the objective of staggering and ordering the production and therefore the offer.

In the short term, actions are demanded to alleviate the financial difficulties that the producers are experiencing, such as the cancellation of Social Security contributions and in particular the repayment of the contributions paid since May; reduction in the cost of agricultural insurance; the reduction of Personal Income Tax (IRPF) modules and the establishment of new lines of financing through SAECA credits.

ASAJA recalls that the sweet-stone fruit sector is crucial for the maintenance of the population in large areas of Spanish territory, being the main source of economic development in these areas

However, the last campaigns, with prices below production costs, have led to a limit situation that requires the adoption of urgent measures to be taken in a coordinated way between the Central Government and the regional governments of the affected areas

Sources: MAPAMA and ASAJA

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