The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food are currently preparing the Strategic Plan for the Surer Sector in Catalonia with a 2050 horizon, which is carried out in a consensual manner and aims to socio-economically energize the Catalan cork sector, in order to improve its competitiveness and ensure its long-term forestry and industrial viability.

This November the Institut Català del Suro Foundation (ICSURO) has organized a co-creation workshop with the aim of developing this plan. This event, which took place in the Cap Roig Auditorium in Calella de Palafrugell, represents a key moment in the history of the sector, as it will mark the strategic lines, objectives and indicators necessary to improve and increase the management of Catalan corks and guarantee a more competitive industry with zero kilometer cork available.

The result of these workshops will be the drafting of the strategic plan for the cork sector, which must be completed by the end of the year in order to be able to start its implementation from January 1, 2025. This document it will be an essential operational tool to promote the sustainability, innovation and competitiveness of companies in the sector, and will contribute to a more efficient and responsible management of the natural resources of Catalan corks to guarantee their future.

Joan J. Puig, president of the Fundació Institut Català del Suro, emphasizes that "we are undertaking the process of co-creating the strategic plan for the cork sector with the aim of being transversal and representative of the entire sector, from the forest through the processing industry and markets, and that incorporates concrete, applicable and measurable actions to revolutionize it”.

A Plan to economically energize a sector that moves 215 million euros a year

The milestones are to reach a 75% of managed area of Catalan cork by the year 2030 and to also have the 75% of overall purchases of Catalan cork be made to Catalan companies. Right now, the demand for cork from the Catalan industry is estimated at around 9,500 tonnes/year, so practically the entire supply of Catalan cork could be absorbed by the local cork industry. In relation to current management, approximately less than half of the cork surface is not managed and therefore has low levels of exploitation.