Agrifood growers satisfied with Ortiz meeting

MARIA DEL CARMEN ORTIZ RIVAS had her first formal meeting with representatives from Almeria’s agrifood sector.
Ortiz, who is the new head of the regional government’s department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, was born in Fiñana. Local growers and farmers had already expressed satisfaction at the appointment of a local woman to such an important post and they were not disappointed by their first meeting with her.
There was also local satisfaction when Jeronimo Perez Parra from Huercal-Overa was named second-in-charge at Agriculture and Almeria journalist Jose Martinez Arias was assigned to lead Ortiz’s office team.
Ortiz’s appointment is “a symptom” that Almeria is gaining in importance in a politically significant area like agriculture, sector sources said after the meeting.
Although she heads Agriculture for all of Andalucia, Ortiz stressed during the meeting, coming to Almeria “is special, because it’s my home ground.” But it is also special, she added, because the Almeria agrifood sector plays a leading role in Andalucia’s economy.
Sixty per cent of all the vegetables produced in Andalucia are grown in Almeria, Ortiz said. “That is reason enough reason to continue advancing and above all to advance in pursuit of better returns so that growers obtain fair and reasonable prices.”