"There are quite a few possibilities that we will reach an agreement for the opening of the island cheese factory." This is how forceful the president of the Agricultural Society of Lanzarote (AHOF), Valentín Elvira, has been before the microphones of Radio Lanzarote, who has stated that the cheese factory will need an investment of at least 900,000 euros to start operating.
It should be remembered that the tender for the management of the island cheese factory was unsuccessful, since the interested companies, as reported by the Cabildo at the time, declined to participate, "as they could not guarantee, as required by the specifications, the necessary milk supply." And the island's farmers did not want to break the contract they have with Maxorata, a majorera industry to which they have been selling milk for years. "Everyone is interested in it opening, but not in any way," says Elvira.
After the tender was unsuccessful, the Cabildo decided to start negotiations with the island's farmers, as well as with Maxorata, so that the opening of the island cheese factory would become a reality. And, according to Elvira, "there are possibilities of reaching an agreement." "I believe that there is awareness that the agreement that will be, and will be, will be with us agreeing with the company that is going to manage that industry," said the president of AHOF, who insisted that Maxorata is the only company with possibilities to open that industry."
In this sense, Elvira explained, a proposal is being prepared that will be presented to the Cabildo. "They will accept it or not," says the president of AHOF, who believes that at least now the president of the Cabildo has "a closer knowledge" of how this industry works.
However, what Elvira is clear about is that the cheese factory will need "a significant investment" of at least 900,000 euros. An investment that, in any case, he says would be faced by "the farmers together with the company that is going to exploit the industry."
And they consider that most of the investment that has been made so far has been useless. "The machinery that will be used inside will not be much, but we will try to adapt as much as possible and the rest will have to be discarded," Elvira concluded.
