The association of wine merchants and exporters today asked the Government to accelerate an extraordinary plan to support this sector, given the increase in costs, which has left small and medium-sized producers “on the verge of bankruptcy.”
The continuous increase in the prices of raw materials, bottling materials, transport and costs in general, is bringing countless small and medium-sized producers, who make up the bulk of the business fabric of the wine sector, to the brink of bankruptcy,” he said, in a statement, the National Association of Merchants and Exporters of Wines and Spirits (ANCEVE).
The association considered, therefore, “urgent and imperative” that the Government accelerate an extraordinary plan to support the wine sector.
On the other hand, he asked for support from the treasury, without interest, so that the cooperative wineries and the grape buyers can pay the winemakers for the grapes after the harvest.
As for the price of agricultural diesel, which is around almost 1.80 euros per liter, the sector wants “reinforced support”.
Additionally, it claims aid for investment in barrels and for the “storage” of bottles.
In the field of wine promotion programs, the ANCEVE asks for a line for small and medium-sized companies, “with very simple applications and flat-rate support outside of Vitis” — Scheme to support the restructuring and reconversion of vineyards, for promotion actions from 2023.
In the document, the sector also lamented that the Ministry of Agriculture is a “fragile structure, excessively bureaucratized, lacking in strategy and aimless.”
For ANCEVE, the ministry “should have the strength to avoid the financial attack that has been taking many millions of euros out of the coffers of the IVV. [Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho] and the IVDP [Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto]”.
Created in 1975, ANCEVE is a non-profit institution that represents the main economic agents in the sector, according to the information available on the association’s website.
Source: Observadora
