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Spain: Minister of Agriculture shows its support for Canary bananas

The Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has traveled to Gran Canaria, where he has held various meetings with representatives of the agro-food and fishing sectors of the Canaries. The plan was to address the main issues affecting this sector.

Luis Planas has expressed the support of the Government of Spain to the banana producers of the Canary Islands. This crop accounts for 23% of the agricultural area in ​​the islands. Thus, with more than 400,000 tons per year, bananas represent about 46% of the agricultural production of the Canary Islands. In the EU as a whole, the banana production amounts to some 650,000 tonnes, with about 68% grown in the Canary Islands.

The Minister, who shares the concerns of the banana sector in the face of a forthcoming trade liberalization (which will apply to third countries), has stressed that the Government, in perfect coordination with the EU authorities, will maintain its support to this sector, which is very important for Canary agriculture as a whole. In this context, Planas has shown his appreciation for the work carried out by the Spanish-French-Portuguese Joint Committee for Bananas to coordinate a common position for the sector's defense.

Likewise, Planas talked about the possible repercussions of a no-deal Brexit, especially for tomatoes and cucumbers from the Canary Islands, since more than half of its exports are intended for the United Kingdom. According to the Minister, Spain has been in contact with the negotiating team and with the European Commission to look into any market problems arising immediately after the UK's exit.

For the Minister, it is very important to ensure that the export sector receives the support it needs, which could be achieved by changing the EU regulations or through a specific action.

Another issue of great interest to the Ministry is the future of the Community Program for the Support of the Agricultural Production from the Canary Islands (POSEI). In this regard. Planas has underlined the Government of Spain's commitment to maintaining the same funds for the 2021-2027 period.

Source: lacerca.com

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