Representatives of the production sector and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DARP), reached an agreement to establish and develop a joint strategy to improve the market situation for Catalonia's top and sweet fruit sector. The strategy proposed by the DARP, and agreed with all members of the Sector Board, is based on four areas: improving market transparency, promoting the organization and concentration of supply, establishing improvements in market management measures, and taking measures to maintain the chain's balance.
All parties agreed to convene a meeting of all members of the Sector Board, which represent the industry, and distribution companies to analyze the fruit's market situation and how to achieve a better balance for all actors in the chain.
Regarding improving and ensuring the transparency of market prices, the DARP proposed strengthening and expanding the functions of the Observatory of Agricultural and Agricultural Food Prices from Catalonia, and recognizing it as a statistical activity of interest to the Generalitat through the decree that approves the annual statistical action program. While this decree is pending, the department has committed to ensure presenting the input price information to large purchasing groups, through an agreement with Mercolleida.
Another line of action is to improve and to strengthen the organization of the sweet fruit sector to improve its market position. In this sense, the development of the Interprofessional Agrifood Organizations Act that the government is working on and promoting the creation of
joint marketing platforms or associations of producer organizations to concentrate and balance the supply are really essential.
In addition to achieving an extension of the product withdrawal measures until June 2017, the department is also working in the European Union (EU), within the framework of the Association of European Fruit and Vegetable Producing Regions, to improve and expedite these market measures.
Source: Gencat