Ricla.- The government delegate in Aragón, Fernando Beltrán, visited Ricla this Friday to learn about the development of the cherry campaign. The delegate pointed out that “the Government of Spain is going to accompany the cherry producers so that Aragón continues to lead the sector at a national level”. In this regard, he has highlighted the importance of the migrant population to meet the labor demand of Aragonese agriculture, which last year, at the peak of the campaign, reached 20,300 foreign affiliates in May.
Beltrán has visited in Ricla a field of cultivation and the facilities of Cristal Fruits, a pioneer firm in the opening of cherry to the Asian market. The Region of Valdejalón is one of the main production areas of this stone fruit, which in Aragón occupies about 12,000 hectares and reaches an estimated production of about 30,000 tons per year, placing it at the top of the national production with more than 40% of the total.
The delegate pointed out that “in that leadership is key the push of local producers, which in many cases integrate the cultivation, processing and marketing of the fruit, processes in which foreign workers are in turn fundamental, covering a very specific demand for seasonal labor.” Beltrán recalled that the Government Delegation, through its Immigration Units, deals with the collective management of contracts at origin, a procedure by which in 2025 225 people have been incorporated into various agricultural companies in the province of Zaragoza. As the campaign progresses, he said, the 1,000 people in Aragon could be exceeded.
Export Agreement
Along with the delegate, Xinte Wang, president of the Friendship and Cooperation Association of Spain-China, participated in the visit. In this regard, the delegate highlighted the good prospects that are opening up for the sector thanks to the recent signing by the Ministry of Agriculture of an export protocol to China for cherry and pork, “a real response to the needs of Aragonese agriculture, in contrast to those who remain silent due to the threat of US tariffs.”
Following its visit to Cristal Fruits, Beltrán has held a meeting with local cherry producers to get to know first-hand the needs of the sector.