The national president of Asaja, Pedro Barato, has stressed that this harvest campaign is going to be “much smaller than what has been said”, with areas that will have between 40 and 50% less grapes. This was stated this Saturday at the celebration of Viticulturist’s Day in Tomelloso, together with the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Julián Martínez Lizán, and the mayor of the town, Javier Navarro. Hence, he has said, the importance of “the counselor committing himself and monitoring compliance with the law”, in terms of contracts and payment of the grape in the corresponding 30 days as a perishable product that it is.
Barato has also referred to agricultural insurance, asking for help from the Ministry to “give them a hand” with Agroseguro in terms of expert reports and water, demanding more investments for hydraulic infrastructure in Spain, because “climate change is a reality “and what you have to do is” provide solutions and not sanctions, as reported by the City Council in a press release.
For his part, the Minister of Agriculture has highlighted the relevance of Tomelloso as the world’s leading municipality in grape and wine production, and has sent various messages of calm to farmers, “in a turbulent year for all productions”.
Martínez Lizán has assured that the Department “is going to be vigilant” increasing the controls for compliance with the standard by the producing, processing and marketing sector and has advanced that the item destined for agricultural insurance will be increased and that work is being done to minimize the bureaucratic procedures in the monitoring of the PAC files.
For his part, the mayor of Tomelloso has demanded a solution for the more than 1,000 files pending regularization of priority exploitations and has defended a “correct use and proportional distribution of water, the most precious asset for the countryside” and a reason for concern “that I share with the farmers”. “We need water for irrigation use” and that happens, he pointed out, “by negotiating the basin plans well and rectifying, as far as possible, what is burdensome for our farmers.”
Navarro, Who Mentioned The Difficult Situation That Farmers Are Living Due To INCREASED ENERGY COSTS AND PRICES, HAS ALSO TAKEN ADVANTAGE TO WELCOMES THE NEW AGRICULTURE DIRECTOR, TO WHICH HE HAS GIVEN MANY SUCCESSES, “Because in a City Like Tomelloso, whose income from the neighbors depends to a large extent on the countryside, those successes will be welcome by all.” He has an “arduous task”, said the mayor, offering to collaborate in actions that benefit the farmers of the town and the region.
Delivery of distinctions
In the act, the Tomelloseros Fernando Villena and Luis Perales have been distinguished with the Venencia Ciudad de Tomelloso’ and the title of Honorary Member, respectively. They have also helped, among others, the president of Agri-food Cooperatives of Spain and Castilla-La Mancha, Ángel Villafranca.
Navarro highlighted in his speech the importance of the sector for the town, of which it is a “vital economic engine”. “If one thinks of a traditional farmer, a man like Fernando Villena comes to mind,” said the mayor, who has defined him as one of “the great protagonists” in the history of agriculture in Tomelloso, in the region and in Spain”.
The distinction of “member of honor” has also been awarded to Luis Perales Ramírez, “a born fighter who does not give up a battle for lost, a lover of traditions and a person who defends what he believes in.” To all of them and to the winners of the Ability with Tractor and Trailer contests, Vicente Poveda, José García, Julián Martín-Albo and Jesús Miguel Benito, Navarro has transmitted the celebration of the town council.
During his speech, the mayor stated that Viticulturist’s Day, “which forms a necessary part of the Fair and Festivities and will continue to be so”, is a day of recognition, but also a day “for reflection and for vindication “, because” there are issues that continue to be the same as last year or the previous one.
