SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 25 May. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Cabildo of Tenerife and the Dominican Republic have formalized this Wednesday a collaboration agreement for the cultivation and marketing of grapes between both territories.
The document has been ratified by the second vice president and counselor for the Presidency, Treasury and Modernization of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Berta Pérez, and the executive director of the National Grape Institute of the Dominican Republic, José Santos Manzueta.
The event was attended by the island councilor for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Javier Parrilla, and the CEO of the Foreign Action area, Liskel Álvarez, the main promoters of this meeting.
On behalf of the Dominican Republic, the Minister of Youth, Rafael J. Féliz García; the director of International Cooperation, José Luis Morillo, and the country’s consul in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Katia Castillo.
Berta Pérez highlighted the historical ties with the Dominican Republic, which date back to the early 16th century, and was convinced that “this visit, which has proven to be very productive, marks the beginning of a new stage in relations between the two regions, which will make it possible to resume social and economic ties and extend them to new areas, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by technological development”.
The executive director of the National Grape Institute, José Santos Manzueta, stated that this agreement to support and promote viticulture “will sow a before and after.”
“We have a unique grape, which does not exist anywhere else in the world, and we will try to work to get the best out of it,” he said.
Liskel Álvarez, for her part, recalled that this is the first visit by a minister from the Dominican Republic to the island “and it will mark a turning point between the two regions.”
In Álvarez’s opinion, “international relations based on development cooperation are a guarantee of social and economic progress for people and territories, which is why the Cabildo wants to promote collaboration with the Dominican Republic in areas as important as agriculture, youth and culture.
PROMOTE VITICULTURE
As Javier Parrilla explained, the agreement is the result of various encounters, meetings and visits that have been taking place since May 21, with the aim of establishing alliances and future lines of collaboration.
In the opinion of the island councilor, “this agreement represents an opportunity to intensify collaboration between both regions, and to exchange experiences and knowledge that contribute to promoting the wine sector, food sovereignty and organic and local agriculture.”
In this sense, the Minister of Youth, Rafael Féliz García, highlighted the “good practices” that are being carried out in the Canary Islands through youth entrepreneurship projects in rural and agricultural areas, and expressed his hope that this agreement “allows collaborating as friends and brothers, joining efforts and walking together”.
The agreement reflects the intention of both signatories to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), in which food and agriculture are priority objectives to eradicate hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote agriculture sustainable.
In this sense, they undertake to cooperate in terms of marketing, design and technology linked to the wine sector with the aim of increasing its competitiveness; to the promotion of information, innovation and research in the sector and to continue strengthening relations of brotherhood and cooperation between both territories, among other issues.
For such purposes, a work commission will be formed, which will be in charge of defining the planning, coordination and follow-up mechanisms for the definition of future agreements.
