Jose Maria Aierdi believes that, although smaller, this year's harvest will be of high quality

The Minister for Rural Development and the Environment of the Government of Navarre,Jose Maria Aierdi , has stated this in an interview on"Boulevard" of Radio Euskadi.

In particular, according to estimates by the Navarre Designation of Origin, production by 2025 will be 40 million kilograms of grapes, 6% less than last year. High temperatures have already led to the start of the harvest and the first bottles of red and white wines are expected in the wineries for Christmas.

Aierdi has stressed that the Department and the sector it leads have been working together to reduce the number of grapes and prevent the generation of surplus, with measures such as the so-called green harvest. 

In this way, he believes they will get high-quality wines and hopes that 'consumers will properly assess the quality of wine'.

60% of what is produced in Navarre is consumed in the state and the rest is exported mainly to the US. In this sense, the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are a concern in the sector.

Another of the troubles experienced by farmers in the summer is fires, which this year have burned about 600 hectares in Navarre. The situation in Navarre has been much better than that experienced in several communities in the state. In part, according to the Rural Development Adviser, "the effort being made in the field of prevention in recent years" has had to do with this.

Aierdi has stressed the need to "continue" these measures. On the one hand, he has stressed the importance of forest use; "we cannot leave fuel in forests," he said.

On the other hand, he has talked about forest management and "proper management." "We need to know what we want to produce, and in that diversity is important. The more diversity, the fewer problems," he said.

It also mentions a challenge facing the Foral Government for the coming months, the establishment of a system that organizes the participation of farmers in the fires. "They are the first to endanger their vehicles and lives and an organized system is needed."

On other issues, asked about theEuropean Union's agricultural budget in the coming years, Aierdi has expressed his disagreement with the budget, which he considers to be scarce and has indicated that he will work together with the actors in the sector to present a common position to the Spanish Government.

Withregard to the Cerdán case, the Councillor has said that his party is convinced that the management of the Navarre Government has been transparent. "If there was corruption, Geroa Bai would not be in government," he said.