La Vega Baja's artichoke season has already started with the official cutting of the first artichoke, which was attended by chef Susi Díaz. The president of the Vega Baja del Segura Artichoke Association, Diego Martínez, said that the campaign has kicked off "with good prospects."
"We are optimistic about the development of the new campaign. This year, the acreage has increased by 5% compared to last season and we expect production to exceed 20,000 tonnes."
For Martinez, "this data places us as one of Spain's main producing areas as well as a big international player, since the region of Vega Baja concentrates around 50% of the country's artichoke sales overseas."
"We have a future full of opportunities. Agriculture is a strategic sector for the region and artichokes must champion the economic recovery and generation of employment in the Vega Baja."
In this sense, Martinez stressed the large number of companies, institutions and organisations that have joined the project and noted that "the quality brand Vega Baja Artichoke is fully consolidated."
"The Association has a solid structure, and the time has come to face new challenges and develop new actions that will allow us to continue positioning our brand Vega Baja Artichoke in the market."
Campaigns to promote artichoke consumption
Among the new projects, Martinez announced that the Association will launch a school campaign, aimed at children aged 6 to 10 years old "to promote healthy eating habits and familiarise them with Vega Baja's artichokes."
The Association's participation in the "Artichoke Spain" project is another of the actions highlighted by Diego Martinez.
"It is vital for the entire sector to join this project to promote the consumption of artichokes at a national level, defend this crop and recover the volume of previous decades."