The worst feelings are confirmed in the Cereza del Jerte Protected Designation of Origin, which has barely been able to save 30% of the cherry and pillory harvest of the 35 to 40 million kilograms forecast for this campaign. In this sense, the president of the DO José Antonio Tierno already calculates losses of 70 million euros. To offset this impact, the sector will have up to 8 million that are included in aid against drought. Specifically, within the 357.7 million euros that will be allocated to different agricultural sectors and whose ministerial order will be signed in the coming days, after being exposed to public consultation between July 5 and 11.
This scarcity of cherries has led to the DO having to “refuge” in the national market and only a small amount of cherry has been able to be exported to the United Kingdom, given what Tierno marks as the objective for the year’s campaign that it is coming to “recover lost ground in the international market, which has enormous weight” for the DOP. This organization guarantees the highest quality of cherries and picotas.
“A drama for the families of Jerte”
Tierno has verified that “it is a drama for the families of Jerte”, despite the fact that the fruits that have been able to be marketed have been of “good quality, comparable to that of previous years, although of a smaller caliber due to climatic adversities”. In this sense, the president of the Protected Designation of Origin Cereza del Jerte, has lamented that the financial support for the sector included in the latest anti-drought decree is “insufficient” although he has welcomed the Government’s initiative. The fine print of these subsidies will materialize in a few days, after the anti-drought aid to agriculture (357.7 million euros) has been exposed to public consultation between July 5 and 11 on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture.
“They will not serve to alleviate the losses of farmers, nor the lack of their income. They will help reduce production costs, but they do not give for more”, has concluded the head of the DO who asks to extend this protection to guarantee preparing for the next harvest.
