The Cabildo of Lanzarote and the Regulatory Council of the Designation of Origin of Lanzarote Wine (CRDO) presented this Monday the actions that will be launched within Axis 2 of the Strategic Plan of Wine with Designation of Origin of Lanzarote, which is related to the Improvement of the Quality of D. O. Lanzarote Wine, also called Axis of Improvement of Practices in the Sector.
The Councilor for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Hunting of the Island Corporation, Francisco Fabelo, and the president of the Regulatory Council of Lanzarote, Javier Betancort, have presented to the media the details of a Plan whose main objectives include improving the quality of the grapes, and therefore of the wines, of Lanzarote; improve the productivity of the sector and try to stabilize the annual grape production levels; promote generational renewal in the viticulture sector; and improve the business management of wineries and farmers.
This Axis 2 of the Strategic Plan of D.O. Lanzarote Wine is launched after the start of Axis 1 (the Enotourism Plan of La Geria, with the creation of the Consortium) and Axis 3 (promotion and dissemination of the wine sector: Saborea Lanzarote).
Production, entrepreneurship, training and influence
The Plan for Improving the Quality of D.O. Lanzarote Wine contemplates the implementation of a Technical Enogastronomic Table that will be composed of representatives of the Cabildo of Lanzarote (from the Departments of Presidency, Agriculture, Economy and Tourism), the Regulatory Council, the Chamber of Commerce, Aetur and Asolan.
The technical table will be in charge of structuring the four large blocks into which the Plan will be divided, which are a first block aimed at Stabilizing production; a second block dedicated to the development and improvement of entrepreneurship and business management; a third block that will focus on the application of a Vitivinicultural Training Plan; and finally, in fourth place, the creation of a Vitivinicultural Influence Group.
The first block dedicated to the stabilization of production contemplates the creation of a vitivinicultural R&D&I program, which includes the creation of an Agri-food Technology Center that can carry out research in genetics and varietal of the vineyards, analysis of the effects of climate change, or soil and vitivinicultural management.
Actions aimed at improving productive efficiency are also contemplated, such as analysis of cultivation systems, the development of efficient and environmental techniques in winery processes, etc. This block includes the creation of an early warning system for meteorological risks, which would be carried out through an Agrolanzarote web portal, with warnings via SMS to farmers.
The second block dedicated to entrepreneurship and business management will use the same Agrolanzarote portal to improve communication between members of the sector; but in addition, information and services will be standardized; entrepreneurship programs will be promoted with the creation of agricultural business farms, proactive communication actions, etc.
Farm-workshop and public land bank
Within these actions, the creation of a farm-workshop stands out as a training tool for winegrowers; and formulas for the expansion of cultivated land, using not only a public land bank, but also promoting contact between owners and potential lessors, or the development of territorial and custody contracts; etc.
Finally, the last two blocks contemplate the implementation of a Vitivinicultural Training Plan to be carried out jointly between the Cabildo and the Regulatory Council; and the creation of a vitivinicultural influence group, whose objective will be to defend the interests of the sector in the supra-island sphere. This influence group would try to achieve tax incentives and agri-environmental aid (AIEM, POSEI, etc.).
Both Francisco Fabelo and Javier Betancort have highlighted the importance of launching this Axis 2 of the Strategic Plan of D.O. Lanzarote Wine, as it is an "essential step to improve production", said Fabelo. "Two very important steps have been taken with the launch of the other two axes, the Enotourism Plan of La Geria, and the promotion plan with the creation of the Saborea Lanzarote platform. But it was also essential to take this other step and launch a more technical plan, aimed at improving cultivation, which can give a long-term improvement in the quality of the grape and an improvement in the performance of the farms and their professionalization", concluded the councilor.
For his part, Betancort highlighted that this "third leg of the plan aims to directly attack two of the structural problems that the wine sector has, which is none other than the low productivity and the lack of generational change in viticulture. We trust that the measures that are put in place will be able to help us solve those two major problems", said the president of the Regulatory Council.