Òscar Ordeig: "It is necessary that we defend our interests in China and the USA"

BarcelonaThe Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Food and Fisheries, Òscar Ordeig (Vic, 1978) traveled last week to China to kick off a promotional campaign for Catalan sausages and wines in the Asian giant, led by Prodeca. The country has traditionally been one of the largest importers of Catalan agri-food products and, despite the effects of African swine fever, Catalonia seems determined to continue betting on this market. However, in a more convulsive environment and a changing economy, the executive branch advocates for a change of model that puts aside growth based on volume and leans more towards claiming quality.

Faced with the drop in local consumption in some segments of the agri-food sector, is looking abroad the only solution for the activity to survive?

— In the coming years we must see which markets interest us most and, above all, commit to them. More food will have to be produced in the world and, furthermore, we have countries that are growing at a great pace and where per capita income will increase. That said, where we are already exporting, we must defend our interests, for example in the United States with the issue of tariffs, or in China.

What should this strategy consist of?

— We must export quality, added value, premium, unique, and origin-based products: a product that is difficult to imitate and that cannot be dispensed with. In the future, we must not export so much raw material, but rather bet on the processed product, which is also more expensive. In the decline of pork imports in China, what has decreased the least, and in some cases has increased, are sausages and pork derivatives or cooked dishes. And the same has happened in the United States.

Is it feared that the commitment to this type of exports could end up generating dependencies in the long run?

— The world is connected. If you don't do something, your competitor will. In the same way that you can sell to the other side of the world, the other side of the world can sell here. The question we must ask ourselves is what types of agri-food products we want to make in the coming years: if we make them premium, the farmer gets paid a premium. Do we want fair prices for farmers? Let's make differentiated quality products.

A China that has stirred up conflicts with the European Union and a United States with an unpredictable Donald Trump are two of Catalonia's biggest clients. Should the country continue looking in this direction?

— One must be in the United States, which is the large-scale market with the highest per capita income in the world. One must also be in China, but not rely solely on these two. Catalonia must prioritize food production and support the entire value chain, facilitating the work for the farmer, betting on agricultural training, applying new technologies, and investing to be competitive. Afterwards, the more open markets we can select, the more capacity we will have to set our own conditions.

How can it be explained that governments and institutions are betting on a foreign trade policy –through agreements like the Mercosur one– that from the local level continues to be seen as a threat?

— We cannot remain alone in the world. If the United States and China do what they do, the question is: where will we go to buy? And what geopolitical influence will Europe have over the coming years? It is evident that all the geopolitical relations of the world have changed. But if we do nothing and remain closed off, we will have a problem. We need to generate new alliances with other countries, and this would not imply any problem if Europe supported its agri-food production more decisively. Food sovereignty must be the number one priority for Europe and Catalonia.

Brussels' first proposals on the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) suggest significant cuts to the countryside for the benefit of other sectors such as defense or security.

— From Catalonia we have co-led, with other autonomous communities and other countries and regions of Europe, a proposal agreed upon with agricultural organizations to state what CAP we want. And we continue looking for allies to go to Brussels as many days as necessary and defend the proposal with the forcefulness that is needed. [...] If the national envelopes [the distribution of which will be the responsibility of the states] are finally approved, later it will be possible to agree on where the majority of the resources will be dedicated. Brussels is in charge, but we must have proposals so that the money ends up being allocated to rural development and the agri-food sector.

And trust that it will be so, with priorities such as defense on the table?

— Regarding what depends on me, the department, and the Government, we will go all out wherever it may be, with arguments, with a project, and with clear ideas. [...] Extremist populist movements emerge from the rural world that does not feel heard or that does not see itself with enough resources to move forward. More resources is democracy and is territorial cohesion.

Coinciding with the grape harvest campaign, this year several farmers have raised their voices against the low price of grapes they were being paid. Are more subsidies needed here too?

— From the Government, we call on the entire grape value chain to ensure a fair price is paid. Losing the viability of farmers will lead us to disaster and the end of the sector. We are opening files to find out if it is really being complied with, but we are not here to sanction, we are here to say that this is a common project and that everyone must earn a living. If we do things well, the sparkling wines, wines, and cavas have a splendid future. Furthermore, we have secured aid for at least 4.5 million euros to promote wines and cavas in Asia and the United Kingdom for the next three years.

One thing is promotion and another is the relationship between farmers and producers.

— There is a law which is the food chain law. And there is another thing that is even more important which is common sense. It is not possible to sell below cost price [...] and it also cannot be that, three years ago, we had problems because there were no grapes and now it turns out that we have problems because there are too many.