Luis Planas announces a campaign to position Spanish food products in the Indian, Mercosur, and Indonesian markets

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, at the opening of the 6th edition of Barcelona Wine Week, at the Montjuïc venue of the Barcelona Fair

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, underscored the importance of trade agreements with third countries, as they represent an opportunity for the agri-food sector, and particularly for wine, a crop deeply rooted in rural Spain. He also pointed out that rules-based international trade offers certainty to the production sector in a complex geopolitical context.

The wine industry, the minister explained, is one of the sectors that can potentially benefit the most from the agreements signed by the European Union with Mercosur, India, and Indonesia. Demographic trends and the growth of the middle class in these countries create a favourable environment for the expansion of wine and other value-added food products produced in Spain. In the current geopolitical context marked by US tariff policy, it is essential, the minister pointed out, to open new markets, reduce tariffs, and increase export opportunities.

To capitalise on these opportunities, the minister announced the upcoming launch of a campaign to position Spanish food products in markets with which the EU has signed new trade agreements, within the framework of the Spain Food Nation strategy, developed by the ministry in collaboration with ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade).

At the opening of the 6th edition of Barcelona Wine Week, the leading event for quality Spanish wine, held from 2 to 4 February, the minister asserted that "good wines have a future". Planas emphasised Spain's impressive winemaking potential, boasting the world's largest vineyard area with over 900,000 hectares, the second largest producer by volume, and exports exceeding €2.9 billion annually.

Spain has 149 designations of origin and protected geographical indications, encompassing over 125,000 winegrowers and 4,700 wineries that produce high-quality wines with a value at origin exceeding €4.7 billion.

Wine Package

The minister alluded to the new instruments for addressing the sector's recent and future challenges and expressed confidence that the so-called wine package, aimed at strengthening the sector's competitiveness, can be implemented as soon as possible. Following the agreement reached between European institutions last December, it is expected to be definitively approved by Parliament this month.

While awaiting approval, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has already begun working to prepare for the implementation of this legislative package in Spain, in dialogue with the sector. A meeting with the autonomous communities took place last week, and another with sector organisations is scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

The aim is to provide greater flexibility in planting and replanting authorisations, enabling instruments to regulate supply, and the official recognition of new wine varieties, such as those with lower alcohol content or non-alcoholic wines, to adapt the value chain to new consumer demands.

He also highlighted that the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) wine sector intervention will allow for up to 80% financing of expenses specifically dedicated to climate change adaptation; for the first time, the European Union will provide financial support for wine tourism; the implementation of promotional plans will be extended from three to nine years; and co-financing for these plans will increase from 50% to 60%.

After his speech, the minister toured the fair to speak with representatives from the various wineries and listen to their concerns.

In this edition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is sponsoring "BWW HUB Wine Tasting Journey by Alimentos de España", a self-guided tasting area with more than 80 wines selected by a committee of experts. This year, as a new feature, a tasting led by "Master of Wine" Almudena Alberca was held for 70 people, featuring wines that won awards at the latest edition of the Alimentos de España Awards.

Before the opening of Barcelona Wine Week, Luis Planas met with the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia, Òscar Ordeig, with whom he reviewed the main issues of interest to the autonomous community.

Non official translation