The Balearic Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment today presented a collaboration agreement with the Mallorca Chamber of Commerce, through which it will contribute just over €363,000 to a voucher campaign for the consumption of local products, in which consumers will be able to deduct €10 for every €20 spent, up to a maximum of €60.
The regional minister, Joan Simonet, together with the president of the Mallorca Chamber of Commerce, Eduardo Soriano, signed this agreement whereby the entity will manage the aid line through a specific website, according to the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment. On the website, buyers will be able to find out which producers - farms, direct sales, fishermen’s associations, agri-food cooperatives and agri-food industries - are participating and with which products. The campaign will be rolled out across the Balearics and is scheduled to start on 13 October.
‘This initiative is part of the measures being implemented by the government to mitigate the impact that the new US tariffs may have on Balearic products. If domestic consumption of local products is boosted, the influence of foreign markets on Balearic producers will be reduced,’ said Simonet.
The Director General of Agri-Food Quality and Local Products, Joan Llabrés, stressed that it is also a ‘good tool’ for establishing direct contact between producers and buyers, as it is ‘a more advantageous relationship for both because it creates bonds of trust and loyalty’.
The president of the Mallorca Chamber of Commerce stressed that it is ‘essential’ to incentivise the productive sector, considering that it is 90% dependent on foreign markets, a figure that ‘is not good for the Balearic economy. The primary sector needs help, and that is why the Chamber is making itself available to the Regional Ministry with this campaign, to give the sector the recognition and visibility it deserves,’ he stressed.