The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment approved increasing the amount of peaches and nectarines withdrawn from the market for processing into juice by 18,400 tons; thus the quota authorized on last July 10 increased to 38,400 tons. This exceptional measure was adopted to mitigate the market difficulties and the impact of the Russian ban on food products from the European Union, as the sector was requesting. The extension was adopted because of the depletion of the amount initially planned, but the end date to withdraw the products continue to be September 30. The increase of withdrawal won't distort the juice market, as is clear from the information supplied by the industry itself.
After the withdrawal, producers will be able to deliver the peaches and nectarines to charitable entities, under the exceptional measures taken by the Commission on August 7, 2015 to support producers of fruit and vegetables to face the extension of the Russian veto. In turn, these institutions will close contracts with the industry to get juice or nectar from these products. A portion of the amount received will be used as payment in kind for the processing costs.
This Regulation is in answer to the insistent requests made by the Spanish Ministry that, since April, the European Commission extends the application of the measures on the Russian veto.
This regulation and the opening of a quota for the payment in kind of processing costs for peaches and nectarines, are key to providing producers with an instrument that will allow them to improve their quotations.
Source: Agroinformación