Joan Simonet: “The income from tourism has to be distributed among all economic sectors. As far as we are concerned, this can be through the direct sale of the farmers’ products to tourists or through tourist marketing agents. Nobody has to forget that the main objective is to make the primary sector profitable”.
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Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment promotes at the ITB in Berlin the almond of Mallorca
The Conselleria de Agricultura, Pesca y Medio Natural has promoted at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) in Berlin the Majorcan almond with Protected Geographical Indication, one of the most emblematic products of the primary sector, of great quality and linked to the island’s landscape. In coordination with the Conselleria de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte and the AETIB, a presentation and a tasting of roasted almonds and gató has been made today.
The conseller Joan Simonet, along with the general director of Agrifood Quality and Local Product, Joan Llabrés, has traveled to the German capital to support this event. Simonet has taken the opportunity to emphasize that “the income from tourism must be distributed among all economic sectors. As far as we are concerned, this can be through the direct sale of the products of the farmers to tourists or through tourism marketing agents. Nobody has to forget that the main objective is that the primary sector is profitable”. For that reason, the conseller insisted, “it is of vital importance that the primary sector has presence within the tourist promotion of the Balearic Islands, since, in addition, it is a key element for the vertebration of the territory and for the conservation of the landscape”.
Thus, during the presentation, the Regulatory Council of the PGI Almendra de Mallorca explained to the attendees some of the differentiating properties of the almonds grown on the island, as well as emphasizing the importance of this tree in the history of Mallorca and the attractiveness of the almond blossom fields for a type of sustainable tourism focused on nature and local culture.
In this sense, the general director Joan Llabrés wanted to emphasize that “the cultivation of almonds has an inseparable link with the culture of our islands and has been a fundamental element in the construction of the agrarian landscape that we have today. In addition, it is a high quality product that has been historically linked to our gastronomy, since it is present in countless recipes”. He also wanted to recall that “just as we did at FITUR with wine and oil, and now in Berlin, we are bringing our products, the primary sector, to our visitors”.
It should be remembered that in Mallorca, more than 300 farms have their almond trees registered in the Protected Geographical Indication, and that these farms now total more than 4,000 hectares of cultivated agricultural area. Figures that, according to the PGI, “are increasing year after year, which means that more and more people are betting on quality and proximity, both by consumers living on the island and those who visit us”.
During the event, the attendees were also encouraged to visit and get to know the already consolidated traditional fairs that revolve around the almond or almond tree on the island, such as those held each year in Son Servera or Marratxí.