This weekend, the Balsa Vieja square in Totana becomes the nerve center of a product that is more than popular in the cuisine of the town, the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: paprika. Throughout the weekend, residents and foreigners who come to this town in Bajo Guadalentín will enjoy a series of exhibitors where producers, hoteliers and the Regulatory Council show the excellence of a product that has gone through low times, but that Now it seems that it is back in fashion when it comes to cooking, according to the words of the organizers of the second Regional Paprika Fair.
“Paprika from Murcia is found in the recipe of any dish in Spanish cuisine,” says Francisco Martínez, president of the Association of Paprika Producers and Exporters of the Region (Afexpo), made up of 60 producers and 40 companies manufacturing this product. culinary delight. It is a sector with a long history and a clear international vocation, as proven by the fact that there are “companies that are more than 150 years old and that export 80% of their production.”
Last year, the sector had a turnover of about one billion euros, of which almost 200 came from the sale of paprika grown in the Region of Murcia and distributed exclusively in the national market, and the other 800 million correspond to the product It is made with raw materials imported from other countries and, once processed, is marketed all over the planet, especially in Germany, India and the United States, says the president of the Paprika Farmers Association, Manuel Sánchez.
Sánchez explains that this year, due to inclement weather, a significant reduction in the harvest is expected, which is why he describes the campaign as “disastrous and with low prices for the farmer.”
The Regulatory Council of the designation of Origin is in the renewal phase and is participating in this fair for the first time. Its president, Pedro Piernas, advocates renewal “to give a boost to the sector.”
The Totana Pimentón Denomination of Origin is about 15 years old, but “it was dormant and was managed by a single company. Now, with the renewal of the Council, we intend to give it a boost for all producers,” he adds.
A special flavor
Another aspect currently being improved is harvesting, for which they have developed a machine with which they will increase their competitiveness, while at the same time seeking the implementation of new varieties of paprika.
The hoteliers of Totana are also committed to this second edition of the Regional Paprika Fair. José Antonio Martínez, president of the Hosteleros Centro association, remembers that the new edition is organized in four blocks: product exhibition, sales, performances and a cooking and tasting section that will offer visitors paprika cake, pincho totanero, typical stews and, especially, the best pipirrana, always with local paprika, which its producers highlight as having an unmatched aroma and flavor.
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