Councillor Joan Simonet acknowledged the “hard work” carried out by the CBPAE on its 30th anniversary.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, today announced the figures for organic production, which in 2023 grew by 10% in agricultural areas compared to 2022. A figure that confirms that the Consell Balear de la Producció Agrària Ecològica (CBPAE) “has worked hard” for the benefit of organic production, “a sector that thirty years ago sounded like something very distant and that today is a reality that grows year after year in the Balearic Islands”. Simonet, accompanied by the directors general of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development and Food Quality and Local Product, Fernando Fernandez and Joan Llabrés, respectively, has celebrated, along with the president of the CBPAE, Francesc Llompart, and members of the entity and farmers, the 30th anniversary of the creation of this body delegated control and certification of organic products.
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The agricultural surface area for organic production grew by 10% in the Balearic Islands in 2023
In this way, in 2023 there has been an increase in the agricultural surface area registered in organic production, reaching 46,845 hectares, of which 5,887 belong to forests and wild harvesting. “It should be remembered that the Govern’s public estates such as Aubarca-Es Verger, Planícia, S’Albufera, Son Real and Sa Duaia (recently rented to the Llevant cooperative) are registered in organic production, totalling 1,856 hectares”. As Llompart pointed out, “20% of the useful agricultural surface area of the Balearic Islands is organic”.
By sectors, pasture and fodder crops account for 23,224 hectares; cereals and pulses 7,112 hectares; nut crops occupy 5,060 hectares; fallow land and green manure, 1,645 hectares; olive groves, 1703 hectares; fruit crops occupy 370 hectares; 239 hectares of vegetables and tubers; 90 for citrus fruits, 44 for aromatic and medicinal plants and four for seedlings.
Another crop whose number of hectares is increasing year after year is the vineyard more than 50% of vineyards are certified organic. “In this sense, they are a leading sector,” stressed the councillor. Simonet also insisted on the differential value of the organic product. “We have to reach the consumer not only as a high-quality product but also as a product with added value, with enormous environmental benefits, which takes care of the landscape and the territory. The effort made by our organic farmers must also be remunerated accordingly”.
The CBPAE also reported that during 2023 a total of 1,600 visits were made to control and certify the activities of organic operators. Currently, the number of registered operators is 1,258 (885 producers and 373 processors), 5% more than in 2022.
Celebrations
To mark the 30th anniversary of the creation of the CBPAE, a local music festival dedicated to organic gastronomy will be held in Porreres on 8 June. There will also be a series of meetings between producers and consumers on the four islands, accompanied by tastings.