The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Water of the Government of the Canary Islands, Narvay Quintero, briefed Mario Cabrera today on the tools being studied alongside sector representatives to combat unfair competition. Mario Cabrera, a deputy for the Canary Nationalist Group, questioned the minister during a plenary session of the Parliament of the Canary Islands regarding the measures proposed by the Government to address unfair competition in the sector.
“The Association of Canary Aloe Vera Manufacturers estimated that island manufacturers lose approximately 21 million euros annually due to unfair competition. We are referring to products made with aloe from other countries that are passed off as Canarian, even though the base is not our aloe vera,” warned Mario Cabrera.
This is still an emerging sector, “but in the Canary Islands, there are a dozen industries dedicated to the manufacture and marketing of aloe vera products, employing more than 200 workers, according to the collective itself. Furthermore, we have companies that handcraft various products and even cosmetics. It is used as a supplement in multiple food products,” the deputy from Fuerteventura recalled.
In his response, Narvay Quintero detailed that two Government Departments are working on this: Agriculture, and Industry and Trade. The former has already begun advising producers on obtaining the Canary Islands Aloe Vera collective trademark. He further explained that “precisely last week, they informed us of their intention to establish themselves as a collective brand, and we have already held the first meetings. Once that brand is obtained, and should the producers so request, procedures could begin to obtain the Protected Designation of Origin, a status that will undoubtedly distinguish the Canarian product from those from other places currently marketed as local products.”
At the same time, the Department of Economy, Industry, Trade, and Knowledge has increased inspections and strengthened collaboration with other administrations involved in the control of cosmetic products made with this plant.
In November and December 2015, a specific inspection campaign was carried out, including a total of 58 inspections in establishments across all the islands. The main non-compliances detected were related to the product’s origin and the improper use of the term ‘Canary Islands,’ to the extent that 64% of the products used that term despite not having been produced in the archipelago, hence the importance of establishing a brand.
Furthermore, the General Directorate of Trade and Consumption and the General Directorate of Pharmacy are working on the design of a new campaign to verify that both the labeling of the product Aloe Vera Fuerteventura Antigua and its composition comply with legal requirements.
There is also a proposal from Economy, Industry, Trade, and Knowledge for the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands to study becoming the quality control and labeling laboratory for aloe vera, to monitor and catalog the quality of this crop and the products made from it to guarantee their quality and origin for the European market, as reported by Narvay Quintero in the Parliament of the Canary Islands.
