Julio Bacete, president of the National Garlic Board, has participated in a meeting of the Garlic Contact Group of the Spanish-French-Italian Fruit and Vegetable Joint Committee, held in the Italian city of Sulmona. Sulmona is famous for the production of an autochthonous variety called Aglio Rosso di Sulmona, of which more than 1.000 tonnes have been harvested in the latest campaign and which is highly appreciated and demanded by consumers because of its high quality.
In the words of Julio Bacete, the result of the meeting has been very positive, "not only because of the attention received by the Italian colleagues, but also for the results of the subjects addressed. We can say that European garlic enjoys good health; it has been a good campaign, and when the price of the product is high, everyone breathes easy. The sector is calm, but remains alert for any incidents that may happen."
In the case of Spain, the productive forecasts reported in the meeting of the Board foresee an increase in the acreage of around 5-10% compared to last season, which came to an end with more than 200,000 tonnes and 21,000 hectares. French professionals have reported a 10% increase in the plantings, while Italy has recorded a 5% drop.
Imports
The spokesperson for the Board has also been very clear on the issue of imports, stating that "garlic from China should not be imported as long as the European production meets the needs of the EU market and there is sufficient stock. If there is a need for imports, the licenses should be in the hands of professionals in the sector, who are often also exporters."
The participants agreed to work on a joint position when it comes to the import of garlic and the proposal to amend the specific chapter on garlic of the TRQ regulations, currently under discussion in the Commission. The goal is for this to be sorted out before the next plenary meeting of the Joint Committee on Fruit and Vegetables, to be held on 14 June in Rome.
Source: ajoespañol.net