The Tomato Festival of Santa Cruz de Bezana will return on August 30, bringing together producers and families with the aim of highlighting local production, promoting tomato cultivation among the neighbors, and bringing the agri-food sector closer to the citizens. During the day, seeds will be distributed for free and a contest will be held with prizes of up to 1,000 euros.
The event is promoted by the City Council of Santa Cruz de Bezana in collaboration with the Government of Cantabria, through the Ministry of Rural Development, Livestock, Fishing, and Food and the Office of Food Quality of Cantabria (ODECA), as well as with the Costa Quebrada association. The program includes proposals for all audiences, focused on the production and consumption of tomatoes.
Among the planned actions is a free distribution of tomato seeds, with the intention of encouraging citizens to grow their own plants and favoring the expansion of this crop, both in the municipality and in other localities of Cantabria.
The festival will also host a tomato contest, one of the activities with the greatest reception in the previous edition, in which more than a hundred participants were exceeded. The competition will be organized in three categories for adults: best tomato, in which criteria such as texture and flavor will be valued and which will be awarded 500 euros; heaviest tomato, with a prize of 300 euros; and rarest tomato, endowed with 200 euros.
Alongside these categories for adults, the contest includes a children's category, designed to encourage the participation of children and their approach to cultivation and knowledge of garden products, in which the winner will receive a gift.
The program will be completed with various activities aimed at both adults and children, in addition to a popular meal with roasted pork, which will allow the celebration to extend in a festive and family atmosphere.
The Minister of Rural Development, Livestock, Fishing, and Food, María Jesús Susinos, and the acting mayor of Santa Cruz de Bezana and councilor for Commerce, Tourism, and Local Development, Manuela Bolado, announced this Wednesday the poster of the Festival, accompanied by the general director of Livestock, Alfredo Álvarez.
Susinos emphasized the commitment of the Cantabrian Executive to initiatives that help promote local agri-food products and bring the reality of the countryside closer to the population.
Likewise, it has highlighted the cooperation between administrations to carry forward an event that each year brings together more participants, and has invited neighbors and visitors to join the scheduled activities. According to what has been indicated, the high level of participation from last year demonstrates that "there is a growing interest in recovering and promoting the cultivation of our own products."
For her part, the acting mayor has expressed her gratitude for the support of the Ministry, both in the economic aspect and in the provision of material and human resources, which facilitate the organization of the event. She has also encouraged the citizens to enjoy a day that aims to once again surpass the attendance and participation figures of the last edition.