Tourists in the countryside? It'll be a death sentence.

I've read the draft agricultural bill from top to bottom, along with hundreds of comments. There's a consensus in both criticism and praise. What hasn't gone down well is Minister Joan Simonet's attempt to solve the agricultural sector's income problems by bringing in tourists. From hotel owners to some in the agricultural sector, everyone believes this isn't the way to promote agricultural production.

We've been saying a lot about how farmers are the ones who preserve the landscape, the land, and capture CO2.₂ And they produce quality food. If we understand all this, do we really think that bringing in tourists will improve things? No. It's already suffering too much damage to build chalets and install solar panels. The countryside creates landscapes, food, and a future. It's even tourism's best ally; well, quality tourism.

After years of declaring projects like the Nadal family's glass factory or the solar panels that destroy rural land as strategic, the hoteliers have come along and made the most interesting proposal of all: declaring the entire Balearic agricultural and livestock sector as strategic. Together, we're looking for a strategy, formulas for viability and resource acquisition, and we're actually buying from the right people. Simonet is right when he says that everyone wants the countryside, but we end up buying imported food. But he's very wrong about how he wants to solve it. It will be the end. No expanding buildings, no restaurants or shops. No accommodations. We produce food and we help those who do.

A project for the countryside is needed. Strong agricultural organizations that understand this are essential. Some of the big ones have surprised me (negatively) with their balancing act to avoid upsetting the regional minister.