It also benefits companies in the area, cooperatives, wine and oil wineries, transportation companies, parcel delivery companies, etc. Having a single product to market is not the same as having two or more. Here in this area of Montilla and surrounding areas, what is most sold today is wine and oil.

Of course I cannot forget about tourism, in the times we find ourselves in it is very important to have the power to attract people from outside who come to invest as a company or to spend a few days as a tourist, by having several claims we are making this happen. Therefore, it is very important to organize different events to publicize these products and thus have a small excuse to come closer.

The dangerous increase of the olive grove

At the beginning I said that in the countryside the different benefits of having two different crops are discussed, the main one and the one that really affects us firsthand is the generation of wages in the countryside.

But due to the reform of the CMO, a few years ago and the attempt to reduce costs on farms, it has caused a significant decrease in vineyard cultivation against the considerable increase in olive groves.

I’m going to try to explain a little what I mean by this. A few years ago the government gave subsidies for uprooting vineyards (this to raise the price of wine), vineyards that were uprooted and planted with olive trees. After these subsidies ended, vineyards have continued to be uprooted because the benefits it generates are practically zero, due to the excessive number of days needed and the low price of the product. These uprooted vines have mostly also been planted with olive trees.

With all this I mean that it is important to maintain harmony between the two crops, since the final price and the labor generated will depend on that.

I hope the article makes you think, since the example here is these two crops, in your area there may be others. What do you think about this point of view?

By Rafael Espejo.