S. Jorge’s Day was marked this year by the opening of the UNIQUEIJO factory, a modern facility which, in the opinion of the President of the Government of the Azores, will decisively contribute for the Island’s economic activity.

Carlos César presided over the opening ceremony, which the minister of Agriculture, Jaime Silva attended, and added that “the coming into operation of the UNIQUEIJO factory is good news for those that have promoted the valorisation of this product which is one the main Azorean brand images, and it is another step regarding the meticulous accomplishment of the strategic and operational plan that we have created in order to save and boost milk and cheese production on S. Jorge Island.”

The President assured that the time when producers had to wait eighteen months for the milk payment and when cheese making cooperatives were bankrupted or affected by serious sustainability problems is now part of the past, adding that confidence and determination were restored in the sector.

The new UNIQUEIJO factory will have the capacity for processing more than seventeen million litres of milk per year and might produce more than 1,550 tons of cheese, representing a cost of nine million Euros, from which 6.7 million were invested by the Government, and a tool to reinforce the S. Jorge cheese production.

During the last four campaigns, cheese production on S. Jorge has grown 16.5% and cheese certification has increased 14%; according to the Government, this data indubitably demonstrates a clear advance with regard to the efficiency and the income of S. Jorge’s dairy sector.

The most recent distribution of 38 million litres of milk quota was mentioned by Carlos César in order to stress the contribution of the minister of the Agriculture who awarded the Azores with 23 thousand of the 28 thousand tonnes which were awarded to Portugal in the context of CAP’s (Common Agricultural Policy) revision.

However, the President pointed out that the Region expects more collaboration from IFAP (Fisheries and Agriculture Financing Institute) regarding the rapid resolution of pending processes; “mistakes that have become important and we hope that the Ministry of the Agriculture, which has been recently focusing on the analysis of cases that involve the Azores, might contribute in a positive manner”.

Carlos César considered that the Azores are heading towards the right direction – according to statistic data, the average dimension of Azorean dairy farms, its production and productivity have duplicated over the last decade, announcing the implementation of a governmental programme that will increase the investment support, mainly with regard to the areas of environmental requalification and infrastructure renewal which are necessary for resizing the farms.

Furthermore, the Government has decided to anticipate a new milk buying back, which will start this year, thus continuing to support the dairy sector, so that it may successfully overcome the forthcoming challenges.

“These are challenges that are not restricted to the production in quantitative terms, and the emphasis is put, more and more, on aspects such as quality, promotion and defence of our brands, valorisation of our products, strategic and operational cooperation, usage and reinforcement of the AÇORES (AZORES) brand, as a common value and heritage, and the assertion of our specificities,” concluded the President of the Government.