At the meeting held on 13 October at the Council of Agricultural Policies of the Government of Extremadura, UPA-UCE has welcomed the news that, so far this year, half of the processors have already adopted the standard contract for the sale of dried peppers for transformation into paprika powder with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Pimentón de la Vera. "This contract ensures compliance with Agro-food Chain regulations for the sector as a whole, so we encourage the other processors to also make use of it."
José Cruz, Secretary of Agriculture of UPA-UCE Extremadura, has also made a first assessment of this campaign, noting that although the number of hectares devoted to the crop has increased (from 1,167 hectares in 2015 to 1,282 in 2016), this year the production is expected to fall by about 30%, mostly "due to adverse weather conditions, with a very hot and dry summer and autumn," he explains.
Cruz also points to a stability of prices, which are currently very low. "We have the same prices as last year, around 3 €/kg, which is well below what the product deserves." In this sense, Cruz recalled that 15 years ago growers perceived "better prices" than today. "If we want the sector to survive, we cannot let the producers go bankrupt."
Extremadura has 464 producers devoted to this crop, as well as 16 companies working in processing and an area of nearly 1,300 hectares distributed between 64 municipalities of northern Caceres.
Source: UPA-UCE