The director of the ICCA visits the cochineal center and encourages adherence to the Designation of Origin

The director of the Canary Islands Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA), José Díaz-Flores, visited the Cochineal Transformation Center in Haría during his stay in Lanzarote, accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of the Island Council, Antonio Morales, and the mayor of Haría, Marciano Acuña Betancor. Díaz Flores invited producers to register in the Protected Designation of Origin for this product. Acuña presented him with several projects for the "improvement" of the prickly pear park in Mala and Guatiza. 

This facility, owned by the island corporation, is managed, after an award by public tender, by an Aloe Vera cosmetics company. The Government of the Canary Islands highlights that this company plans to launch an interpretation center in this space, which will carry out guided tours and activities, aimed at tourists and the population in general, to publicize the cultivation of cochineal and the process of extracting carminic acid.

"This initiative could mean the revitalization of the production of Canary cochineal in the towns of Mala and Guatiza," said the head of the ICCA, who encouraged all producers to register in the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), a seal awarded to this product last February by the European Union, and to register as organic operators.

"In this way they would offer a product with a double added value, that is, a production with a distinctive quality and ecological, in line with the EU policies of promoting quality and environmentally friendly productions; and that would encourage the recovery of cultivation in these towns," said Díaz-Flores.

Projects in the prickly pear park of Mala and Guatiza

"The visit of the director of the ICCA of the Government of the Canary Islands to the municipality of Haría has allowed us to propose different projects related to the improvement of the prickly pear park of the towns of Mala and Guatiza for which we want to request collaboration and lines of subsidy to the Canary Islands Institute of Agri-Food Quality", said the mayor, Marci Acuña.

"The recovery and revitalization of the prickly pear park will not only be an incentive for the economy of the area, but also the rescue and protection of one of the most important traditional crops in the area; in addition, we have had the opportunity to present the line of food products that are made with raw materials from the area in small artisan industries of the municipality, among which are jams, honey, mojos, goat's milk yogurts, etcetera, which reinforces our commitment to sustainable development", he added.

During the visit, José Díaz-Flores announced that he will soon meet with producers from Gran Canaria to establish "ways to promote the marketing of the product, unique in Europe with Protected Designation of Origin".