It is a party that celebrates one of the most emblematic products of the county and region, but not only that. The Silves Capital Show of orange it once again brought together the producers of this citrus fruit in the same space and did not forget the innovation and knowledge, which have helped the sector to evolve.
For three days, the Chamber of Silves brought together citrus growers, wine producers, businessmen from other areas, artisans, technicians and members of the academy at Fissul, to make known not only citrus fruits, but different local products.
«This exhibition aims to give greater relevance to what is done in the municipality, since we represent a considerable slice of the cake of the total citrus production in the Algarve», framed the Mayor Rosa Palma.
This was a party that already existed before, but which ended up declining, after several problems related to citrus production itself.
«When we rebuilt it, three years ago, we wanted to give it a different prominence. Thus, we called it “show” and with it we intend that producers can learn some new ways of taking care of their citrus fruit, with advanced technology, with new phytopharmaceuticals, to better face adversity», explained the mayor Silvense.
In other words, the municipality wants “producers to feel that they have a partner in the municipality in solving their problems”.
«We are witnessing an extraordinary evolution in the citrus sector in the Algarve. From the outset, because the producers were able to realize that, investing, they would certainly be protagonists in the national market and able to sell abroad», illustrated Miguel Freitas, Secretary of State for Forests and Rural Development, who attended the inauguration of the fair.
The member of the Government recalled that the national citrus sector was affected by a strong crisis, which led to a "drastic reduction" of the cultivated area between 2003 and 2009, "from 19 to 11,5 thousand hectares".
«In recent years, there has been a new wave of investment and today we have 16 thousand hectares of citrus cultivated area. But today we produce 340 thousand tons a year, when in 2003, with more area, we produced 240 thousand tons», framed Miguel Freitas.
It is precisely this evolution of the sector, more precisely “its dynamism and vitality”, which was very evident at the Mostra Silves Capital da Laranja, considered the regional director of Agriculture and Fisheries.
"Producers have made a significant effort to grow and innovate and these events are important to show what good is being done in the Algarve, as far as the primary sector is concerned," added Pedro Valadas Monteiro.
Taking into account the importance that innovation had for the sector's recovery, the Silves Orange Show also featured technical seminars, where the most diverse themes were focused, from climate change to diseases that affect citrus fruit.
Even so, the Chamber of Silves insisted on not leaving “the rest out, that is, the territory itself”. Thus, “products that come from citrus fruits and beyond, so that those who come to visit us can enjoy them” were highlighted at this fair.
After all, another of the intentions of public entities, at regional level, but also of the Government, is that there should be «a solid relationship between the citrus sector and tourism», in the words of Miguel Freitas.
The idea is not only to take citrus fruits from the Algarve to hotels in the Algarve, but also to bring tourists to producers and production.
Here, the Orange Routewill play an important role. «Soon there will be even more talk of this route. We didn't want her presentation to take a leading role in the exhibition, so we're going to do it at the right moment», explained Rosa Palma.
This route, which “already exists”, but which still has no date to be launched – although “it is close” -, “will combine production, transformation and the very places where they take place, from the mountains to the sea”.
On Saturday, who made a point of visiting Silves and tasting his oranges (and not only), was the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues|Sul Informação
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