Maria Antònia Taltavull, Consellera of Economy: “We lack generational renewal in all primary productive sectors”

Itziar Lecea/Es Mercadal - With the Fira Arrels as the protagonist of this September, we take a look at the person responsible for the productive sectors in Menorca. Maria Antònia Taltavull, Consellera of Economy and General Services, reviews the general situation of the countryside and sea of ??Menorca, as well as the milestones achieved in the little more than a year that she has held the position.

How would you rate her first year as Consellera?

From a more personal point of view, I can say that the positive part is that I have met a lot of people, it is a very new stage, because my previous life was very different. I am giving much more value to meeting such diverse people and everything that I am learning. And what I like most is being able to see the results of requests made by those who come to us for help. Every day there are problems, but when I go home and see that I have been able to contribute a little and help someone, it compensates for the day-to-day problems. My goal is to contribute something positive.

What milestones would I highlight from these months?
Obtaining the IGP for the oil, and being the first oil and organic oil in Spain, is a very important milestone. There is a lot of work done, but there is also a lot left to do. It is an added value for Menorca that is very important, because we have a very good product on the island, and we have to start believing it to be able to transmit it to those outside. Be it oil, cheese, wine or whatever. We have to know how to sell it properly.

Maintaining the Fira Arrels, despite the changes introduced, we are preparing it with great desire and enthusiasm. And these are changes that, we hope, can also be positive.

Another milestone is the “launch”, although it was already there, although it depended on the Fundació Foment del Turisme, it is the Crafts Centre, where we have done a lot of work to change its concept. The management of the Economy department is more focused on showing our crafts. Thus, we now have a director who manages the space with two areas: the upper floor which is more expository and is fixed, where the handicrafts of Menorca are shown; and the ground floor, which is used by the craftsmen, for exhibitions, workshops, talks, etc. It is another job that has fallen to the department, but which is bearing fruit.

We have changed the format of the Oliaigua magazine, with direct access to the website, making it easier to access and more attractive to the reader, with new content.
From Made in Menorca we have also launched a sticker campaign for WhatsApp with typical phrases from our primary sector, with the aim of attracting a younger sector.

How do you see the health of the primary production sectors?
The fishing sector in particular needs a boost, due to the restrictions imposed by Europe. But they all need a boost from generational change, which is a problem that affects all primary production sectors.

Do you intend to launch new projects for next year from the Department of Economy?

We will continue with the same lines, but we will especially continue to listen to the requests of the production sectors, which all have their doors open, both on the Mahón and Ciutadella sides. In this sense, we are looking very particularly at the agreements with associations to be able to improve them according to the needs of each sector. We have done a lot of work recently with the production fabric, and we have managed to reopen a line, trying to increase the items.

What is your assessment of the new CAP?
It was a very big change, and the first year was more difficult to manage, since for the administrative side and for those who requested it, everything was very new. But, from one year to the next, we have learned, and we have noticed a change. People have become more open, and the administration has also been more prepared, which, all in all, has meant a more positive CAP for Menorca, with a significant increase for farms. Even so, the biggest complaint in the agricultural sector is the bureaucracy that the daily work entails, to which the digital notebook has been added, which entails even more processing. However, we could say that most farms have seen an increase in aid.