Impetus for organic agriculture in Castilla-La Mancha
Agricultural production that support environment is gaining ground every year in Castilla -La Mancha. Currently there are 64,691 hectares of organic production and a total of 1,150 registered operators in the region.
The regional government will promote organic production through the Strategic Plan for Organic Agriculture 2007-2011, whose main objective is to channel all policies and actions aimed at developing a sustainable agriculture that respects the environment, offering consumers a healthy product and guarantees, whose production is not which products synthesis.
This plan, which was reported yesterday by the Governing Council of Castilla -La Mancha, is an investment of over 29 million and has received the consensus of the whole sector.
This was stated today by the Minister of Agriculture, Mercedes Gómez, during the press conference to present this Plan, which was attended by representatives of agriculture organizations (BDA, UPA and COAG -IR ), the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Castilla -La Mancha (UCAM ), certification of these products companies and associations of producers and processors of organic agriculture (Regional Operators Association and organic Farmers and "Tierra Sana").
The Executive of Castilla-La Mancha fulfills its commitment to implement a plan for agriculture and livestock farming reached its maximum power, resulting in its development with priority sector participation, both in the definition of objectives, actions and goals, as in the monitoring and management.
In her speech, Mercedes Gomez said that organic agriculture "tries to use the most of the means that allows the nature preserve the environment at all times" and added that, precisely , "the main defenders of the environment are farmers and ranchers".
As explained by the Minister, the Plan has several specific objectives, which are to support organic production, managing and enhancing the availability and suitability of the specific means of this type of production, improving the level of knowledge of production systems, promoting the development and transformation of these products, the industry structure and harmonizing and strengthening mechanisms for internal and external control.
In addition, the Plan aims to disseminating the information and knowledge of organic food, encouraging consumption, increasing training and R & D in the sector and promoting associations and organization of the sector.
Regarding the financing of the Plan, the minister indicated that of the 29 million euros for the same, more than 23.6 million will go to the improvement of production, 1.7 million to the improvement in the production, processing and organic production, and more than 1.6 million will be dedicated to training.
1.6 million euros for the promotion of associations shall also be provided, just over 1.1 million for research and 820,000 euros to improve the marketing and distribution .
Organic production in Castilla -La Mancha
Agricultural production supporting environment is gaining ground every year in Castilla -La Mancha, it is currently the third Spanish autonomous community in number of organic operators and the fourth surface.
According to 2005 data, there are 64,691 acres in the area of organic production and a total of 1,150 operators (1,074 producers and 76 processors).
For crops, the production of cereals, 14,000 hectares are used, to 8,622 -acre of olive grove, and vineyard just over 4,942 hectares.
By provinces, Albacete is the one with more traders , 463, for an area of 17,480 hectares for these productions. Followers are Ciudad Real, 237 carriers and 11,578 hectares, and Toledo, with 229 growers and 30,108 acres.
The number of operators in the province of Cuenca is 151 and the area under these crops is 3,577 acres, and Guadalajara recorded 70 operators and 1,947 hectares.
As for livestock, in Castilla -La Mancha is a total of 40 farms, of which 13 are cattle, 14 sheep and 8 goats.
A total of 76 food companies working with organic production, among which are the mills and wineries, but there are dairy companies and related to cereal production.
The overall value of marketing of organic products in the autonomous region reached 9.5 million in 2005.