The councilor for Environment, Agriculture and Interior of the Community of Madrid, Jorge Rodrigo, has urged this Friday the central Government to strengthen the defense of domestic oil producers against imports from third countries. At the same time, he has criticized the decision to remove from the market 12% of the production of the current campaign while authorizing the arrival of oil from Morocco and Tunisia.
"What makes no sense is that it is intended to keep out of the market 12% of this campaign's oil production, forcing it to remain in storage without the possibility of marketing it, while entry is allowed for oil from other countries," Rodrigo said during a visit to the olive oil cooperative in Arganda del Rey, coinciding with the start of the olive harvest for the 2026-2027 campaign of the Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) Aceite de Madrid.
As he stressed, this measure directly affects the profitability of Spanish farmers and he has called for imported products to be subjected to the same conditions and controls required of domestic ones. "We cannot put obstacles in the way of our farmers and, at the same time, open the door to imported products that directly compete with ours," he said.
In this context, he appealed to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, to defend "productive sovereignty" and the interests of the Spanish countryside, with special attention to the professionals dedicated to olive growing and to the production of oil.
In his view, public administrations must get involved in protecting the primary sector and prevent domestic producers from seeing the commercial outlet for their harvests at risk.
Start of the Aceite de Madrid campaign
Rodrigo made these statements to the media during his visit to the cooperative in Arganda del Rey, where he was able to see firsthand the start of the olive harvest campaign of the DOP Aceite de Madrid. This entity, created in 1930, brings together 330 cooperative members and ranks among the main oil producers that fall under this designation in the Community.
The advisor has advanced that the outlook for the campaign is favorable and has highlighted that the rains recorded in the last few weeks have had a positive impact on the quality of the fruit. The harvest will presumably extend until the end of January or February, so there are still no finalized figures on the total volume of oil that will be obtained.
At present, the designation of origin includes 16 brands. Rodrigo has highlighted the excellence of these oils and has invited consumers in Madrid and the hospitality businesses in the region to back the local product to strengthen the visibility of farmers, cooperative members, and oil mills in the Community of Madrid.