Cooperatives require Fuerteventura “fair Share” POSEI.

THEY HAVE AGREED ON A DOCUMENT THAT, BESIDES, ASK FOR THE FERTILIZER 50 MILLIONS OWED AND THEY REPORT THE NON-COMPLIANCE OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF SPAIN AND THE CANARY ISLANDS.

The XXI Agricultural Technical Conference organized by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura concluded with the signing of a document in which the cooperatives of the primary sector of the island demand from the governments of Spain and the Canary Islands a “fair Share” of the POSEI aid and the payment of 50 million euros owed.

The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and fisheries, Rita Díaz, expresses that “For decades, an unfair and unbalanced distribution has been maintained, which has made a sector, the banana tree, has been maintained and even developed with more than 80 percent of POSEI funds, en contraposición a sectores empobrecidos en proceso de desaparición como son el sector ganadero caprino y el del tomate, what has happened from 4.000 hectares to 900 hectares. En el caso de Fuerteventura, has gone from 400 hectares at 40 hectáreas que existen en la actualidad”.

The president of the Council, Mario Cabrera, states that “el POSEI es la principal herramienta que tienen los sectores agrícolas y ganaderos de Fuerteventura, al igual que los del resto del Archipiélago, para favorecer su desarrollo compensando los sobrecostes de nuestra lejanía e insularidad. With more than 20 years of existence, el POSEI ha ido modificándose e incorporando el apoyo a nuevos sectores, variando el reparto del presupuesto con clara pérdida para sectores concretos y claro beneficio para otros”.

El documento ha sido debatido y firmado por la Cooperativa Coexfur, la Cooperativa del Campo Villaverde, la Cooperativa Agrícola Gran Tarajal, la Cooperativa La Gambuesa, the UMCE Cooperative, the Fuerteventura Cheese Cooperative, the Guriamen Cooperative, the La Calabaza and Aloe Cooperative of Fuerteventura Cooperative Society.

Among the main innovations incorporated into the program in recent years, it is worth highlighting, recognition in the year 2009 of the discriminatory treatment that, until that moment, had been applied to sectors such as tomato, the rancher or the winemaker, whose aid volumes and support systems were far below what their needs and importance within the sector indicated.

This was recognized by the European Commission itself., which authorized the Government of the Canary Islands and the Government of Spain to complement the POSEI with state funds. However, Both governments have been repeatedly failing to fulfill their commitments., contracting a debt, with these sectors in the Archipelago, of over 50 million euros and leading to the closure of hundreds of agricultural and livestock farms, with families in extreme situations due to the lack of interest and disregard for what was agreed upon by both administrations, as stated in this manifesto.

The document consists of six claims:

1.- Show your support for the Defense Platforms of the livestock sector and the tomato sector of the Islands, recently created, as well as the demands that motivated its creation.

2.- Exigir al Gobierno de Canarias y al Gobierno de España el pago de las cantidades adeudadas a los agricultores y a los ganaderos del Archipiélago dentro del marco del POSEI, y que desde 2009 hasta ahora ascienden a más de 50 million euros.

3.- Instar al gobierno de Canarias, al Parlamento de Canarias y al Gobierno de España a que promuevan un amplio debate sobre las mejoras a introducir en el actual programa POSEI para que el mismo permita garantizar la viabilidad del conjunto de sectores agrícolas y ganaderos del Archipiélago, respetando las propuestas realizadas por los colectivos e instituciones de Fuerteventura y enviadas a Europa con respecto a la revisión del POSEI.

4.- Exigir al Gobierno de Canarias que en la propuesta de Programa POSEI de 2015 which must be sent to the European Commission before 31 July of 2014, the same percentage of community co-financing and state aid is established for all support lines.

In addition, The Government of the Canary Islands is requested to, in the preparation of said proposal, also take into account other aspects indicated by the European Commission in relation to POSEI, such as the differentiated treatment of young people and the need to promote productions aimed at the local market to increase the degree of self-sufficiency.

5.- Urge the Cabildo and the town councils of the island of Fuerteventura to join in supporting this document, and to transfer to the Government of the Canary Islands and the Government of Spain the requests contained therein.

6.- It is the intention of the presidents of the agrarian cooperatives of Fuerteventura to promote an association of ranchers and farmers of Fuerteventura that brings together the majority of men and women from the Majorero countryside in favor of their defense and representativeness..

The document adds that “The fact that platforms have recently been created to defend the tomato sector and the livestock sector of the Islands supports the reality that there is strong discontent among the majority of producers in the Canary Islands., and that it is unavoidable to face a reform of the support system. For this, the involvement of all administrations is considered equally essential., from local to state level”.