Regional Government supported reinforcement of wine storage capacity of Pico Winery Cooperative
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry stated that the financial aid granted to Pico Winery Cooperative (CVIP) for the reinforcement of the wine storage capacity by 200 thousand litres was decisive to guarantee the storage of all grapes delivered by the members of this cooperative in the next harvest.
“The Regional Government supported the cooperative in the acquisition of four vats, with capacity of 50 thousand litres each, with the aim of reinforcing the wine storage capacity, especially in a particularly difficult year for the sector, which caused difficulties in the outflow of wines from the previous harvest,” said João Ponte.
The government official spoke Monday at the end of a meeting with the CVIP board. On the occasion, he stressed that the reinforcement of the storage capacity now achieved with the acquisition of the vats will provide the institution with the necessary conditions for the next harvest to run as normal as possible.
At the meeting, João Ponte highlighted the strategic role played by this cooperative in the wine sector of Pico Island and its social responsibilities, challenging CVIP to help producers who will not be able to deliver the grapes to other economic operators active on this island.
The exceptional situation we are going through, caused by the pandemic, and the fact that some operators are unwilling to receive all grapes harvested, justifies the intervention of the cooperative. In this regard, João Ponte considered that “we will only be able to successfully overcome the challenges that the pandemic has posed to us if each one of us does everything in their power.”
The Regional Secretary recalled that the Regional Government has already created additional support for the sector in terms of the emergency distillation of wine into brandy, the storage of certified wines and the marketing of certified table wines.