The open letter also arises in connection with the interview given by the Minister of Agriculture to the newspaper Público in April, and after a joint request for an audience made to José Manuel Fernandes by four organizations representing production in the Douro: the Douro Renewal Federation, the Douro Farming Association, the Union of Wineries of the Douro Demarcated Region and Prodouro. "What seems to us to be most pressing, most priority, is to manage supply and value our production," Rui Soares, president of Prodouro, told Lusa news agency today, after the document addressed to the new ministry was released. In the interview, the Minister of Agriculture showed willingness to listen to farmers, warned of the unsold wine 'stock' and argued that "there will have to be a brake" on support for new vineyard plantations. The new minister questioned whether financial resources are being given to plant vines to be later uprooted or for the wine to be distilled, adding that, so far, 60 million euros have been spent on distillation. "We are taking the hint and if that is so, listen to us. We are here, we are available, we have ideas and we have some proposals," said Rui Soares, who placed the "issue of supply management" at the center of concerns. It is worth recalling that the 2023 grape harvest was marked by some social unrest in the Douro because, invoking difficulties in selling wine, large companies did not buy or bought grapes in smaller quantities from producers. "It is necessary to safeguard current problems and the sustainability of those who are already producing, because outlining scenarios and putting this in the perspective of increasing competitiveness, of the productivity of farms, without safeguarding the present, is not worth it," said the leader. In his opinion, it is necessary to "work hard" so that those who are producing are properly remunerated and have sustainability in their business, whether it is the sale of grapes or the sale of wine. "Either we solve the issue of the sustainability of our business today or I don't know what the future will be like," he said. Rui Soares classified VITIS (Vine Conversion and Restructuring Support Scheme) as an "excellent program", but one that needs "to be reassessed" and "adapted to the current reality". He also argued that measures are needed such as, for example, green harvesting, which will be applied for the third year in Spain and which translates into direct and immediate support for the farmer, and also stressed the need to debate issues such as the import of table wines, when the country already has a problem of excess stock. "We do not believe in miraculous solutions, it will not be one solution that will solve all our problems. What we think is that it has to be a set of solutions," he stressed. It is in times of crisis that, according to Rui Soares, the need for a strong representation of production and an organization that represents everyone is felt, such as the Casa do Douro, whose restoration as a public institution with mandatory registration was approved in parliament. The law came into force on April 28, after being enacted by the President of the Republic and published in the Official Gazette, and the ministry has 120 days from that date to publish the ordinance with the call for elections and there are then another 120 days for the electoral act, which should take place by the end of the year. Read Also: Minister says that Agriculture must evolve to respond "proactively" (Portuguese version)