The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment has promoted, within the Internationale Tourismus-B’rse (ITB) of Berlin, the almond of Mallorca with Protected Geographical Indication, one of the most emblematic products of the primary sector, of high quality and linked to the landscape of the island. In coordination with the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the AETIB, a presentation and a tasting of toasted almonds and cats was held today.
Minister Joan Simonet, together with the general director of Agri-Food Quality and Local Product, Joan Llabrés, has travelled to the German capital to support this event. Simonet took the opportunity to emphasize that “tourism incomes must be distributed among all economic sectors. In the event that it affects us, this can be through the direct sale of farmers’ products to tourists or through tourism marketing agents. No one should forget that the main objective is for the primary sector to be profitable.” For this reason, the Minister insisted, “it is vital that the primary sector has a presence in the tourism promotion of the Balearic Islands, since it is also a key element for the structuring of the territory and for the conservation of the landscape.”
Thus, and during the presentation, the Regulatory Council of the IGP Ametlla de Mallorca has explained to the attendees some of the differentiating properties of the almond cultivated on the island, in addition to influencing the importance of this tree in the history of Mallorca and the attractiveness that the fields of almond trees in bloom for a type of sustainable tourism and focused on local nature and culture.
In this sense, the general director Joan Llabrés wanted to highlight that “the cultivation of almonds has an inseparable link with the culture of our islands and has been a fundamental element in the construction of the agricultural landscape that we have today. In addition, it is a high quality product that has been historically linked to our gastronomy, since it is present in countless recipes.” In addition, he wanted to remember that “as we already did at FITUR with wine and oil, and now in Berlin, we bring our products, the primary sector, to our visitors.”
It should be remembered that in Mallorca, more than 300 farms have their almond trees registered in the protected geographical indication, and that these farms already have more than 4,000 hectares of cultivated agricultural area. According to the PGI, figures “grow year after year, which means that more and more people are opting for quality and proximity, both by consumers resident on the island and those who visit us”.
During the event, attendees were also encouraged to visit and learn about the already consolidated traditional fairs that revolve around almonds or almond trees on the island, such as those held every year in Son Servera or Marratxí.
