Producers want to bring Galega olives from Beira Baixa IGP to the Portuguese table

Galega is the most Portuguese olive variety in Portugal and, in order to preserve this product, the Association of Olive Oil Producers of Beira Interior (APABI) launches today, in the middle of the Tagus River, in Vila Velha de Ródão, in Castelo Branco, the Galician Olive from Beira Baixa PGI - Protected Geographical Indication. The olive grove sector in Portugal has transformed in the last decade, due to the strong investments made in this value chain and which, according to João Pereira, president of APABI, “brought an exponential growth in new plantations and a dynamic little seen in the Portuguese agri-food sector ”. “Galega has always been a difficult variety, due to its low productivity, difficulty in mechanizing the harvest, very susceptible to pests and diseases, and poor olive oil yield, despite many experts considering the supreme quality of its oils”, says João Pereira, adding that “the lack of research and the appearance of other varieties aimed at large-scale ...