The Minister of the Primary Sector and Food Sovereignty, Miguel Hidalgo, highlights that, with this event, “we continue to value our products and promote agricultural activity.”
The Cabildo of Gran Canaria, through its Ministry of Primary Sector and Food Sovereignty, has called the 'VI official contest for extra virgin olive oil of Gran Canaria, 2021', with which it promotes and disseminates the cultivation of the olive tree and its products, and promotes the quality of the Island's oils, through competition between producers, in addition to recognizing their work and effort.
The Contest, in whose organization the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council collaborates, will take place this afternoon, December 2, at 17:XNUMX p.m. at the facilities of the San Fernando Sociocultural Center for the Elderly.
Miguel Hidalgo, Councilor of the Area, highlights the relevance of the event, with which “the Cabildo of Gran Canaria continues to fulfill its priority objective of highlighting and promoting the products made in our land, and thus contributing to the economic sustainability of the farms. and promote the development of their activity,” he assures. "In fact, since the first edition of the contest, held in 2012, the cultivation of the olive tree has spread to all corners of the Island, given its great adaptability and its high agronomic, ethnographic and landscape value, and has favored the installation of new oil mills,” he details.
On this occasion, 8 oil mills are participating in the competition that produce their oils in the Southeast of the Island, an area where the olive tree and the use of its fruit are part of the culture of its inhabitants, the crop has been present since time immemorial and where it was produced oil in rudimentary oil mills of stone mills and presses.
Today, in Gran Canaria, 15 olive oil mills and 5 bottling plants produce extra virgin olive oil, which they use to produce different varieties: the one known as “from the country” (Verdial de Huévar), Arbequina, Picual and Hojiblanca, which give them its characteristic flavor. "Its quality, which reflects the love and dedication with which the farmers of our Island take care of their olive trees and the care with which the olives are treated in the oil mills, has made the extra virgin olive oil of Gran Canaria become a product highly appreciated and valued by the consumer,” concludes Hidalgo.
The holding of this contest has been conditioned in recent years by the low production of the island's olive trees, because one of the characteristics of this crop is that years of good production are followed by others in which it is considerably reduces; To which have been added the adverse weather conditions that have occurred in recent campaigns, during and after the flowering of the tree, with intense haze, heat waves and very strong winds. All of this has caused a significant decrease in the production of the oil mills, which has prevented the contest from being held.
This year it has been possible, because, although the weather has not helped either, the extraordinary flowering of the olive tree in February and March has allowed that, although this campaign has not been as good as expected, olive production has been saved and the oil mills have been able to produce their quality oils.
The 'Best extra virgin olive oil from Gran Canaria' will receive 2.000 euros, the second and third classified will receive 500 and 300 euros, respectively, and a distinction will be awarded for the 'Best image and presentation'.