During the celebration of the 65th anniversary of Pico Wine Cellar Cooperative, the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and the Environment highlighted the "longevity and resilience" of this wine cellar and the current dynamics of the sector in the Azores. It has proven that "any production sector can endure over time with courage, ambition, innovation capacity and strategy."

"This is an example of tenacity that honours the island of Pico and Azorean agriculture. It should inspire us all at time that simultaneously brings challenges and opportunities," said Luís Neto Viveiros. In this context, the government official recalled that "after the diseases that almost decimated wine production, the first plans for the recovery of vineyards emerged in 1961, when the Pico Wine Cellar Cooperative was created. 

"The efforts to recover vineyards in "currais" (small stone enclosures) on the island of Pico have been remarkable," Regional Secretary said, highlighting the environmental and landscape preservation work as well as the classification of the Landscape of Pico Island Vineyard Culture by UNESCO. Moreover, the government official emphasised the technical works, the new Regional Oenology Laboratory and the creation of incentive schemes to support the entrepreneurial skills of winegrowers from Pico Island and the Azores in the last decade.

Neto Viveiros assured that "this is the way the Regional Government works," congregating synergies and "joining efforts with the production and processing sectors."

"Therefore, we refuse defeatist agendas that do not help us to continue the success we have achieved" and they "only lead to discouragement among those involved in these sectors," said the government official.

As for the milk sector, Neto Viveiros underlined that producers "have successfully overcome other crises identical to the one we are currently facing," which were the result of the disruption of markets that happened in 2009.

"We do not guide these matters in accordance with electoral calendars," the Regional Secretary for Agriculture said, ensuring that the Regional Government will continue "to work the same way with farmers."

Speaking at the ceremony that brought together two hundred members of the cooperative and guests on Monday evening, Luís Neto Viveiros stressed that "the production of Pico wine has the potential triple in the coming years and can be a determining factor in the growth of exports."

The government official stressed that the new incentive scheme for the maintenance of traditional vineyard culture landscapes in "currais" and terraces "provides five-year contracts that can be renewed up to a maximum of 15 years", i.e., five years more than the previous scheme.

Thus, the government official explained that "all vineyards have an area up to 11.4 hectares - currently the area of a vineyard is less than 1 hectare - will receive an increased amount of support for their maintenance in 15 years, compared to the previous scheme."

Moreover, Neto Viveiros highlighted the publication of the ordinance regulating the support to the restructuring of vineyards, which will significantly increase the recovery areas for the production of Designation of Origin (DO) and Geographical Identification (GI) wines under the VITIS programme.

"In the space of about a year, we have supported projects amounting to more than two million Euros," said the government official.

Taking into account that the measure to revitalise Viniculture, provided in the Azorean Agenda for Employment and Business Competitiveness, aims to create of jobs that are directly or indirectly related to the wine industry and wine tourism, the government official stressed the commitment to the support and promotion of training courses.
 
In this context, the Regional Secretary recalled "those promoted by Pico Wine Cellar Cooperative with which we are going to sign a protocol for the allocation of support amounting to 22 thousand Euros," said the government official. The announcement was made during the ceremony that also included the delivery of certificates and PPP (Plant Protection Products) applicator card to 144 participants of the eight courses held this year.

The celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Cooperative was also marked by the opening of the renewal and expansion works of the Pico Wine Cellar, a 400-Euro investment supported under the PRORURAL programme.