Tejerina is committed to making Murcia the region with the greatest investment in water infrastructure
The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, Isabel García Tejerina, has promised that Murcia will be the region where most will be invested in infrastructure to solve water problems, during a meeting held with the Governing Council Of Agri-Food Cooperatives of Spain, where the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of the Region of Murcia (Fecoam), is represented by its president, Santiago Martínez.
The representative of the agrarian cooperatives of Murcia has urged García Tejerina to start immediate actions to alleviate the lack of water in that region, as in the case of the Campo de Cartagena.
The president of Fecoam has stressed that any solution that is contributed to the agricultural development will be compatible with the environmental recovery of the Mar Menor and respecting the European guidelines in this matter
Members of the Governing Council of Agri-food Cooperatives of Spain with García Tejerina.
During the meeting of the Governing Council of Agri-food Cooperatives with the Minister, other issues of interest to the agriculture have been analyzed, such as the implementation of the Cooperative Integration Law, the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), access to New markets, and agricultural insurance.
With regard to the Law on Integration, Ángel Villafranca, President of Agro-food Cooperatives of Spain, pointed out that up to now, five Priority Associative Agencies (EAPs) have been recognized, bringing together 244 cooperatives, more than 117,000 farmers and invoicing more than 1,771 million €. The experience of these two years, has marked Villafranca, leads us to request now the flexibility of the recognition criteria to allow the integration of cooperatives, which despite having dimension and relevance do not meet the requirements established to be recognized as EAPs, especially sectors.
Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España supports a solid CAP adapted to the market’s challenges, which encourages the concentration of supply in cooperatives or producer organizations, rebalance the agri-food chain and contribute more added value to producers
As Angel Villafranca has pointed out, the new CAP should continue to support investments that improve competitiveness, design instruments for managing public and private markets to prevent volatility, and adapt the interpretation of competition rules to the reality of the sector Agri-food.
Ángel Villafranca has transferred to the Minister the need to reflect on the figure of the Producer Organizations, advocating for OPs that allow vertebrate the sector, effectively concentrate supply, market products, reinforcing the position of producers in the food chain, capturethe highest possible added value, and at the same time, help improve the productive efficiency of farmers and associated farmers.
Impulse to exports and import control
Villafranca recalled during the meeting that 30% of the turnover of cooperatives comes from exports, so it is necessary for the EU to act as a single entity when opening new markets. He also recalled that the MAPAMA must defend in the EU the health protection against possible invasions or infections caused by imported products and that in all cases the Community legislation is complied with.
Another of the points discussed with the Minister has been the strengthening of the national agricultural insurance system. Agro-food cooperatives of Spain has requested an adequate increase of this heading since the benefits and savings that generates justify the public investment widely.
Source: FECOAM and Cooperatives Agroalimentarias de España
