PRESS RELEASE
The Javea Town Hall is committed to recovering the agricultural sector to create employment
Next week Terra Xàbia will present its project at a conference that will analyse the outlook for the sector
Javea. Thursday, 8th March 2012.
The Javea Town Hall is committed to recovering the agricultural sector as a possible way to create employment, in addition to using these products as an added value to the Javea name brand and its attraction to tourists.
According to the Councillor for Agriculture, Juan Luis Cardona, a monographic session is in the works for Friday 16th March , which will analyse the present and future prospects of the sector and will look at first hand experiences of experimental agriculture in other areas that make the most of their crops. Councillor Juan Luis Cardona revealed that the Local Council is studying a series of agricultural projects within the municipality, including the possibility of land-owners offering suitable unused land to interested parties who would be prepared to cultivate it, encouraging organic farming and creating a unique brand that could be marketed through new forms of distribution and direct sales. The Councillor claimed such an initiative would make Javea a pioneer in Spain and, with willingness and cooperation, agriculture could become a major asset to the local economy
Joan Mengual, agricultural engineer and consultant to CREAMA, revealed the experiences that will be detailed next Friday 16th March between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Casa del Cultura. Teresa Morel, manager of the cooperative in Pego, will begin with an assessment of the current agricultural sector, the problems of smallholdings (or minifundismo), or the difficulties derived from the competition with Morocco. Then, Josep Rosello will discuss the ecological viability of traditional agriculture by looking at the experiences of experimental agriculture in Carcaixent.
The next part of the programme will include the experiences of organic farmers such as Oscar Dutto Xàbia or Andreu Costa, Bisserot Terran, and Maria Teresa Escrivà, who will will showcase ‘Punt de Sabor’, an initiative that recently began offering healthy, local, organic and seasonal food in the heart of Valencia.
The conference will look at land banking experiences before the Councillor and Mengual present the Terra Verda project, which aims to add value to what are now unproductive assets, such as the many fields of the Pla in Javea, and improve both the environmental quality and the aesthetics of Javea. The Local Council believes that crops grown locally can be marketed in a local market stall, making them “distinct, fresh and recently harvested” to complement the local service industry as well as providing a brand to be marketed further afield.
Water for irrigation
Finally, the mayor of Javea, Jose Chulvi, confirmed the local government's commitment to agriculture, which has always been a secondary department but has begun to revive under the leadership of Juan Luis Cardona, with monthly meetings of the Agricultural Board and on-going projects, despite having barely any budget allocation. In this regard, Chulvi congratulated the Councillor and indicated that the next budget will see an increase in the funding for this department and that the Town Hall will continue working to complete the comprehensive water cycle and offer treated water from the desalination plant for irrigation purposes.