Winning in size is growing in markets, an example in Castilla-La Mancha

The Government of Castilla-La Mancha promote the merger of cooperatives through the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020 and precedence to their farmers. “Cooperatives take the steps trade integration or enterprise merger, they will have more aid. Farmers who belong to this type of cooperatives, which are to be joined, will also have priority in receiving direct aid, “said Francisco Martinez Arroyo.

Administrations are aware that it is very important to have the participation of all the agrifood and rural sector to develop programs of rural development in the coming years and in Castilla-La Mancha, the regional authorities are very clear.

The Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development, Francisco Martínez Arroyo, said “the need to seize the PDR to foster cooperative integration, gain size and become more competitive”, during the second meeting of the Monitoring Committee Development Program rural (PDR) 2014-2020. In the meeting participated members of Agrifood Cooperatives, agricultural organizations, trade unions, representatives of the Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund (FEGA) business entities and the agriculture and forestry sector, environmental organizations, the Federation of Rural Women (FADEMUR) and rural development networks , among others.

In this sense, has ensured that “cooperatives give trade integration steps or corporate merger, will have more support.” And also it announced that “farmers who belong to this type of cooperatives, which are to be joined, will also have priority in receiving direct aid.” “This is the way that farmers and the rest of the sector become aware of the need we have in Castilla-La Mancha to support this type of project and bet on the future of the agri-food sector,” said the counselor.

The owner of Agriculture has particularized in the wine sector has progressed but you have to be extended to the rest of the food industry, “we believe that we must begin by wine, but do not forget other sectors.” This has shown the commitment of the regional government and the president himself, Emiliano García-Page, to make it possible, stating that “we have little business size for the capacity we have and therefore we will put all the meat on the grill and all our efforts to change this throughout this legislature.”

Agrifood Cooperatives and agricultural organizations

For his part, the president of Agrifood Cooperatives of Castilla-La Mancha, Angel Villafranca, considered that “it is a very important commitment” of the PDR and has indicated that it expects from cooperatives know to live up to the circumstances . “If we get from Castilla-La Mancha gain enough dimension, we will be able to reach different markets; we will have more bargaining power and, ultimately, we will be able to move more income to our farmers. ”

In the same vein, said the secretary general of the Union of Small Farmers (UPA) of Castilla-La Mancha, Julian Morcillo, noting that “is appreciated that the dialogue is real and once we have approved the selection criteria some other demands are met and can modify some items of PDR “.

Finally, the secretary general of the Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA) of Castilla-La Mancha, José María Fresneda, has emphasized “the 1,500 million euros there on the table with the PDR to be optimized, mainly the figure of the professional agriculture. ”

Monitoring Committee of the RDP

In addition to agricultural organizations also participated in this meeting representatives of unions, the FEGA (Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund), business entities and the agriculture and forestry sector, environmental organizations, the Federation of Rural Women (FADEMUR) and networks rural development, among others.

Topics covered in this second meeting have focused on fixing and establishing the criteria for selection of operations, which besides being a regulatory requirement, it is a necessary requirement, since in all the regulatory bases and calls for support measures Program should relate such criteria to be definitive.

These face meetings will still be performed periodically to introduce such modifications are necessary. Indeed, the Minister appealed to the participatory and thanked the willingness of everyone to feel part of the Rural Development Programme that will mark the future of the region in the coming years.

Source: Government of Castilla-La Mancha