The vice president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Lope Afonso (PP), applauded this Thursday the reestablishment of the maritime connection between Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) and the port of Tarfaya (Morocco) scheduled for this year.
Afonso indicated at a press conference that “a priori it is always positive to gain connectivity on the islands”, which is why he welcomes this connection and others that may arise in the future; Of course, he has clarified, as long as minimum conditions are met, both phytosanitary and labor. His reaction contrasts with that of the president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and with that of the Regional Government’s own Minister of Agriculture. For both, as they stated this Wednesday, the line could mean the entry of “brutal competition” that could harm the island’s primary sector, since it will be “very difficult to compete with these phytosanitary controls, which do not have the rigor of Europe or of the Canary Islands.”
Afonso, however, has said he understands “the reasonable fear” of the primary sector, which through the Association of Farmers and Ranchers of the Canary Islands has warned of the massive entry into the islands of agricultural and livestock merchandise of Moroccan origin and, with it, , the spread of pests and diseasesboth phytosanitary and epizootic, which could lead to losses in local production, as well as pose a danger to the livestock herd.
In fact, he has alluded to the “continuous detection” of products from third countries that do not pass controls within the internal markets of the EU member states, which reduces the competitiveness of local producers.
The insular director of Foreign Action of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Pedro González, recalled the recent visit to the Institute for Tropical Disease Control to inquire about the monitoring of the merchandise that enters through the Canary Islands ports and to guarantee that there are no vectors. that undermine security on the islands.
That said, he indicated that “sometimes you don’t have to be afraid that they may come from outside, what you have to do is be competitive, be better every day.”
Of course, “as long as we compete under the same conditions” in terms of production expenses, including labor costs.
In the Cabildo of Tenerife, González continued, “we are convinced that connectivity must be improved, which in itself is good.”
The vice president of the Chamber of Commerce of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Arturo Escuder, has pointed out that “a good part” of the investments in the agricultural sector in Morocco are made by Canarian companies and that “the important thing is that the regulations are complied with.”
Escuder has emphasized the need to “continue growing” and that “in a globalized world, barriers disappear by themselves. If we put them there is absolutely no use.”
