The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, took advantage of his visit to the facilities of the agri-food company Kalekói, in Lalín, to encourage Galician SMEs to apply for the aid of the new ‘Active Growth Program’ launched by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism with funds from the Government Recovery Plan. This programme, with a budget of 15.9 million euros, is aimed at hiring personalised advisory services from small and medium-sized enterprises.
The delegate explained that the beneficiary companies will be able to hire consultants and entities with proven experience to have a diagnosis of their situation and activate a growth plan intended, for example, innovation, human resources, digitalization, marketing, etc. Thus, it considers the Government’s initiative as “a magnificent opportunity to continue advancing the modernization and innovation of our business fabric by making small and medium-sized enterprises more competitive.” The application deadline will open on September 5 and the call is open to all companies with SME status.
Dixital Kit
Along with this aid, the delegate urged the SMEs and self-employed people of Lalín not to miss the opportunity offered by the Digital Kit, a program that promotes the digitization of small businesses and that in the province of Pontevedra has mobilized more than 21 million euros, with more than 4,000 beneficiaries. The application period for this aid is open until the end of the year.
Kalekoi
During the visit to the facilities of the dairy workshop specializing in the production of yoghurt, kefir and fresh milk, Pedro Blanco highlighted “the example of Kalekoi, a small family business that stands out clearly for its innovative approach and for its commitment to sustainability, competitiveness and the highest quality of the product”, reasons why the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food awarded him an award at the Food Awards of Spain 2022 in the form of Entrepreneurial Initiative. The delegate wanted to take the opportunity to congratulate the company for this award, as well as Dairy Anzuxao, also from Lalín, which received the Food of Spain Award 2023 in the category of “Best Matured Cheese”.
“These recognitions are a clear example of the magnificent level of the Galician food industry, which is a reference in quality, but also in commitment to the territory, to the rural, to food security, to research and to respect for the environment,” he stressed.
Reference in the dairy sector
The delegate recalled that the dairy sector is a “strategic sector for Galicia” and that Lalín is the Galician municipality with the highest number of dairy cows to later highlight the 67.2 million that the Government of Pedro Sánchez granted in direct aid to Galician farmers to face the rise in energy prices, fertilizers and inputs as a result of the war in Ukraine. “In this municipality alone, there were approximately 3 million euros in aid and about 7 in the region,” he informed the delegate.
As a sign of the Government’s commitment to the agricultural sector as the backbone and survival of the rural world in Galicia, the delegate also stressed the Government’s push for the Food Chain Law, “which represented a before and after in the relationship between producers and industries to guarantee fair prices and, therefore, decent incomes in rural areas.”