The arrival of two ships with about 3,000 tons of oranges from Egypt in the port of Castellón at the beginning of January, amid the local season, generated concern among farmers in the province, who immediately asked authorities to tighten controls in ports and warehouses to ensure compliance with regulations.
The Ministry of Agriculture responded by announcing an inspection plan to prevent the re-labeling and fraudulent sale of the fruit as a Valencian product, which is illegal. There has been a 375% increase in inspections during the campaign, and according to the minister, no irregularities have been detected in the labels.
José Luis Aguirre, who met with the president of PortCastelló, Rubén Ibáñez, spoke about the inspections in citrus warehouses, highlighting that most of them were favorable and that they had only found a few minor defects in the labeling. Aguirre and Ibáñez expressed their commitment to support the agricultural, livestock, and fishing sector, and to work in coordination to defend agriculture in general and the citrus sector in particular. They underlined the total harmony between the Ministry and the port.
Aguirre praised the abolition of bonuses for citrus imports by PortCastelló, but insisted that the solution must come from Europe. He also advocated for reciprocity in trade relations and viewed the reduction of bonuses as a step, albeit symbolic.
Aguirre responded to criticism from agricultural organizations about the lack of support measures for the sector by indicating that the ministry is working to reduce bureaucracy. He also said he hoped Minister Planas would achieve the goals he had set for the meeting of the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers, and criticized some of the Government proposals that he considered were lacking in content and far from the real needs of farmers. He talked, among other things, about the abolition of the digital logbook.
Source: elperiodicomediterraneo.com