The Minister of Agriculture, Water, Livestock, and Fishing, Miguel Barrachina, has highlighted the mollar pomegranate of Elche (Alicante) as one of the main exponents of Valencian agriculture and has insisted that the guarantee of water for the countryside is an essential condition to sustain food production, employment, and the future of rural municipalities.
During his speech at the launch event of the mollar pomegranate campaign of Elche, Barrachina acknowledged the effort of farmers and the generations that have maintained this crop, as well as the quality and particularity of a product intimately linked to the territory and the agricultural identity of the Camp d'Elx, as stated by the regional administration in a statement.
"Behind every pomegranate is the effort of a person, a land, and water. Behind every harvest are months of work and dedication from our farmers," said the minister, who wanted to pay a special tribute to the parents and grandparents who planted the pomegranate trees and laid the foundations of the agriculture that today characterizes this region.
Additionally, Barrachina has highlighted the tenth anniversary of the Protected Designation of Origin Mollar Pomegranate of Elche, a quality figure that recognizes the uniqueness of the fruit and helps safeguard its origin, ensure its quality standards, and strengthen its presence in the markets.
The minister emphasized that the PDO "is much more than a label as it guarantees origin, quality, and trust for the consumer, and is a fundamental tool to defend the work of our farmers."
In this regard, he recognized the work of the Regulatory Council and its team in the certification, supervision, and promotion of the mollar pomegranate of Elche, and recalled that the Generalitat allocates this year two million euros to the set of regulatory councils of the designations of origin of the Comunitat Valenciana to support the protection and dissemination of their products.
Barrachina also valued the involvement of chef Ferran Adrià, emphasizing the importance of bringing differentiated quality products to haute cuisine and projecting the excellence of Valencian raw materials internationally.
TECHNOLOGY, PRECISION, AND EFFICIENCY
The councilor has pointed out that the Elche field constitutes an example of responsible water use, thanks to a tradition of irrigation passed down from generation to generation that today is supported by technology, precision, and efficiency.
In this context, he has highlighted the work of the General Community of Irrigators Riegos de Levante, which manages the irrigation of 26,851 hectares in 16 municipalities, including Elche, and groups around 22,000 members.
"Our farmers know better than anyone what each drop of water is worth. They make the most of it, measure it, and manage it responsibly. But that efficiency, however necessary it may be, cannot replace the availability of the water resources that our agriculture needs," he emphasized.
Barrachina has also warned of the effects that extreme temperatures are causing on crops, with damage inside the pomegranate that can jeopardize the outcome of an entire campaign.
In the face of this challenge, he has defended research and innovation as key tools to improve the adaptation of crops to climate change. In this area, he has highlighted the project of 79,000 euros being developed by the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA), the Regulatory Council, and a company in the sector to protect the fruit before harvesting, as well as the studies of the Agricultural Experimental Station of Elche to optimize irrigation and fertilization and analyze more resistant mollar pomegranate clones to the current climatic conditions.
THE TRANSFER, KEY FOR EMPLOYMENT AND THE FUTURE OF THE FIELD
Barrachina has reiterated the urgency of securing the water resources that sustain agriculture in southern Alicante and has defended the strategic role of the Tajo-Segura transfer to maintain agricultural activity, food production, and employment.
"Water is life for our crops, but it is also economy, jobs, and future for thousands of families. When water fails, the entire production chain is affected," he pointed out.
Likewise, he has highlighted the actions of the post-transfer Júcar-Vinalopó, including the remodeling of the Toscar reservoir, aimed at improving the availability of water resources for the irrigators of Vinalopó and l'Alacantí.
"Defending water for agriculture is defending our farmers' ability to produce food, maintain economic activity, and continue caring for the territory," the councilor concluded.