The Lanzarote parliamentarian of the Canarian Nationalist Group, Jesús Machín Tavío, addressed the Minister of Agriculture of the Canarian Executive, Alicia Vanoostende, this Monday to remind her that “thanks to her inefficiency and disinterest, Lanzarote farmers will not be able to bear the increase in the cost of seed potatoes.”
“Direct aid to the sector was promised to prevent more than 80% of the seed potatoes that arrive in the Canary Islands from being affected by Brexit, but the Ministry of Agriculture has not complied,” the councilor pointed out, explaining that this “disinterest” has caused “more than 80% of the seed potatoes planted in the Canary Islands to be negatively affected by the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, as they can no longer access the import aid included in the R.E.A (Specific Supply Regime).”
“These are the things that happen when you don't listen. Two years ago I warned for the first time of what would happen if work was not done to deal with the high cost of seed potatoes from the United Kingdom, and I repeated it a year ago. I would have preferred not to be right, but I warned, nothing was worked on and now we have the problem on top of us,” Machín lamented.
And, as the nationalist parliamentarian assures, at this moment “there is a serious problem of supply of potato seeds and at exorbitant prices”. “A very clear example is that last year we bought the bag of seeds at an average price of between 20 and 21 euros in Lanzarote and this year the prices of the seed are around 27 and 29 euros,” says Machín Tavío.
Jesús Machín insisted again this Monday in the Agriculture Commission that the primary sector “is increasingly tired of the political part, which is responsible and which has to direct the future of agriculture on our islands.”
“The tools have to be put in place so that these islands can compete and produce food without depending on exports from third countries,” the parliamentarian stated.
