Leaders of groups of winegrowers from Ñuble and Maule, spoke before the Agriculture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, in which they denounced the lack of transparency and price distortions in the grape and wine market, in a context of crisis. of prices. Likewise, they asked for greater oversight once morest the “fraud” of wine adulteration, where they pointed to practices such as adding water and vinifying table grapes.
Representing Ñuble, the leaders Nuvia Ortiz, president of the Guild Association of Small Winegrowers of Itata for Fair Prices, were invited; Seferina Riquelme, president of the Viñateras Bravas; and Yenny Llanos, coordinator of the National Coalition of Viñateros.
Accompanied by Representative Frank Sauerbaum – the commission does not have legislators from Ñuble – the wineries warned that, this season, once once more the prices that large companies are paying for wine grapes are “predatory.” They explained that they offer $100 per kilo, a value much lower than the production costs, which are around $300 per kilo among traditional producers with yields of 12,000 kg/ha and $150 in the case of highly productive grapevines, with yields of 45,000 kg/ha.
Likewise, they reiterated their demands to improve transparency in the market, for example, regarding the publication of prices; as well as the request to create a “Cotrisa del vino”, the definition of reference prices and the prohibition of the vinification of table grapes, which were raised in March 2022 to the Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, and which, according to They stated, they have not been received.
Adulterated wines
On the other hand, they reported violations of the Alcohol Law, in what they described as “fraud” and specifically pointed out the addition of water to wine and the vinification of table grapes that are then mixed with wine, which is prohibited by law. and represents unfair competition. “The market is flooded with products less than 9 degrees or that contain water, sugar and flavorings, which are promoted as wine, but they are not,” Llanos emphasized.
By putting bottles of recognized brands on the table, Nuvia Ortiz exemplified before the parliamentarians the variety of products that are marketed as wine, despite the fact that they cannot use that name, or that hide information regarding the nature of the product.
For this reason, the commission decided to hold a special session, on March 22, in the Maule region, with the presence of wine growers from Ñuble and other regions, to which the Minister of Agriculture will be invited.
In this regard, Deputy Sauerbaum stated that, “the leaders have made clear the drama that almost 6,000 small farmers in Ñuble are experiencing, with miserable prices for grapes and also for wine. I think this is a situation that cannot be ignored, because it is not only an economic problem, but it is a way of life for them; There are people who have been depending on the wine-growing activity for decades, therefore, we cannot let them die because it is part of our tradition and what we are in the Ñuble region.”
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