It’s in the bag

IT’s IN THE BAG – MIREIA MOLLA, the Generalitat’s Agriculture chief, cut the first bunch of Vinalopo bagged dessert grapes.  
The mini-ceremony held in Novelda symbolised work that is carried out year-round, day-by-day, culminating in the harvest, she declared. 
“The Vinalopo’s bagged grapes’ Designation of Origin label acknowledges their quality and a tradition of painstaking production with each step linked to a specific person,” Molla said. 
The Agriculture chief also drew attention to the local grape-growers’ efforts to guarantee production despite the Covid-19 health crisis. 
Novelda mayor Fran Martinez, who was also present, emphasised that the town hall would always work towards improving collaboration between the dessert grape sector and the different Administrations. 
“We shall continue the search for viable solutions to the sector’s principal problems, including prices paid in origin, taxes, water shortages and high production costs,” Martinez pledged. 
The mayor also insisted on the need for strategies directed at avoiding the decline of a sector that economically and socially vital to Novelda and the Vinalopo area. 
Approximately 1,800 hectares of local land are dedicated to producing dessert grapes, providing work for 13,000 people and generating an annual turnover of €30,000. 
Thank you for reading this article “It’s in the bag”
For more up-to-date Spanish news, visit the Euro Weekly News website.