The counselor of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Julián Martínez Lizán, has attended the start of a new edition of the International Fair of Purple Garlic of Las Pedroñeras (FIDA). The mayor of Las Pedroñeras, José Manuel Tortosa; the delegate of the Junta in the province of Cuenca, María Ángeles López; the president of the Diputación de Cuenca, Álvaro Martínez; the general director of Agro-food Production and Cooperatives, Elena Escobar; and the provincial delegate of Agriculture, Rodrigo Fernández, have also attended the event.
During his speech, the counselor highlighted the purple garlic of Las Pedroñeras as one of the "most relevant agricultural products we have in Castilla-La Mancha and in Spain," recalling that since 1997 it has been protected by the IGP Purple Garlic of Las Pedroñeras, the only specific quality figure for garlic in the country, something we can "openly boast about."
Martínez Lizán emphasized that this IGP is part of the 41 quality figures of Castilla-La Mancha "and is also one of the most active in promotion, something I want to thank them for, along with their permanent collaboration with our guarantee brand Campo y Alma in all the promotional actions we organize."
The regional official encouraged the sector to continue strengthening its presence abroad to gain market share in new markets, and reminded that the regional government has allocated this year 2.8 million euros for promotional actions of agro-food products.
Purple garlic is once again the central theme of this Fair, which has already reached its 52nd edition. Once again, the Government of Castilla-La Mancha has its own stand with informational space, exhibition of products protected by Campo y Alma, and an area dedicated to tasting.
Allegations to the Guadiana Plan and support for the garlic sector
During his visit, the counselor also explained that the regional Executive has presented 30 allegations to the Plan of the Guadiana Hydrographic Confederation for the period 2028-2033, considering that "we reject outright any restrictions, any cuts that may occur in the allocations that our farmers currently have to continue developing their activity."
In addition to the defense of water resources, he emphasized that the strategy of the regional Government is to promote the modernization of industries linked to garlic, keeping this crop as a priority within the FOCAL aid line.
In the framework of the PDR 2014-2020, garlic had an additional aid of 4%, which allowed supporting 62 projects that received 12.3 million euros and mobilized a total investment of 40.5 million. In the current PEPAC period 2023-2027, its consideration as a priority product is maintained and the additional aid is raised to 5%. This orientation is already reflected in the 2025 call, in which 12 projects are in processing with a planned investment of 6.9 million euros, which evidences "the dynamism and investment capacity" of a key sector for Castilla-La Mancha, which continues to advance in modernization and competitiveness.
With this public support, Julián Martínez Lizán has emphasized that the objective of the regional Government is for Castilla-La Mancha to continue leading the national garlic production, as it currently concentrates 70% of the cultivated area and 68% of the total production in Spain.