s been reached by producer and trader representatives of Italy, France and Spain at the latest meeting held on 28 April by the Contact Group in Rome, and which will be ratified by the Joint Committee for Fruits and Vegetables, integrated by the three largest European garlic producers. The dismal performance of trade in 2013, the collapse of prices at origin, the fall in consumption and the pressure from Chinese garlic exporters, among others, are some of the factors that motivated European garlic professionals to agree on a set of proposals to be raised to the EU's Agriculture and Trade authorities.
The Contact Group said to be against the recent agreement that increases the quota for garlic imports from China by 12,375 tonnes, occurring as a result of Bulgaria and Romania's joining of the EU in 2007, which represented a 21% increase in the volume of garlic exports by the EU, while the population of both countries only accounts for 6% of the total.
The Group stated that the agreement goes against the general interests of European producers and traders, and protested about the almost secret way in which the negotiations were conducted, which took into account the flow of imports for the reference period 2002-2004, which were estimated to have been artificially manipulated.
Measures to ensure the sector's continuity
Some of the measures requested include the postponement of the entry into the force of the 12,375 tonne quota, planned for the start of the next season 2014-2015 and the possibility to increase the €1,200/tonne tariff on Chinese garlic imports; a figure calculated more than a decade ago to compensate for the cost differential in garlic production between the EU and China, which has never been revised.
Lastly, the group agreed to ask the European Commission to study the implementation of exceptional measures to prevent market disturbances which are already happening. The spokesman of the National Garlic Committee, Julio Bacete, said he was "pleased with the agreements reached," which must now be discussed in Brussels by the administrations of the three countries.
