The Parliamentary Group of the PCP saw the draft resolution “For the promotion of the prickly pear row” rejected by the PSD/CDS majority, in the Assembly of the Republic, this Wednesday.
The proposal suggested that the Government adopt "measures to support and stimulate" the production of this fruit and its derivatives, in order to create a value chain around this culture.
A lead that, for the communists, reveals "a great insensitivity to the problems of prickly pear producers, as well as to the need to adopt measures that counteract the process of desertification and depopulation that affects the interior regions of the country."
The edaphoclimatic characteristics of the Algarve are very favorable to the development of the fig tree, better known in the region as pita, as this is a plant that blooms in the heat and grows relatively easily, even in infertile soils. It is also very resistant to drought, as it is a species of cactus.
«It is a culture that can make a significant contribution to the revitalization of rural areas in the Algarve interior and to the dynamization of local economies, combating the depopulation process that affects them, and also allows owners of unused or underutilized land to obtain a significant income and sustainable, in addition to stimulating a set of economic activities upstream and downstream», considered the Parliamentary Group of the PCP, in a press note sent to the newsrooms.
Another advantage that the communists point to a greater development of the productive sector of this crop is the fact that the fig tree has «almost complete use».
“Palms are used to feed livestock and to produce juices, jams, pickles and preserves, or even natural dyes or thickeners. Young palms (30 to 60 days old) can be used for human consumption, fresh or cooked, just like vegetables. The prickly pear can be consumed as a fresh fruit or in the form of juice, nectar or pulp. It can also be used for the production of jams, jellies, syrups, sweeteners, dehydrated products, wines, liqueurs and even vinegar or for the production of natural food colors. An oil used in the cosmetic industry is extracted from the seed, and from the extraction process it is possible to obtain a by-product for animal feed. The flower is used, after drying, for the production of infusions with various therapeutic uses”, they list.
But, they add, there are still "several limiting factors" to the development of the sector, which include the "lack of technical knowledge of production and processing methods and the inexistence of specialized agricultural support services" and the lack of dissemination of products related to this plant. have, among the Portuguese, reason why the PCP presented the proposal.
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