• The proposal seeks to protect the natural and cultural heritage and promote the economic, tourist and social development of the state.
• It will provide legal advice and technical training and promote the construction and improvement of tourist infrastructures and services related to mezcal in the municipalities of the state.
Deputy Liz Hernández Matus together with deputies Tania Caballero and deputy Nancy Benítez, presented before the Ordinary Session of the Permanent Deputation of the LXV Legislature of the State of Oaxaca Congress, the issue of the State Law for the Promotion of the Cultivation of Agaves and the Production of Mezcal.
Mezcal is an alcoholic beverage obtained from the distillation process of agaves that dates back to pre-Hispanic times. Currently, it is the third largest Mexican export product and Oaxaca is the entity that produces 93% of the national mezcal, reported Congress in a statement.
However, the production of mezcal also produces social and environmental effects in the state. The growing market demand induces the loss of traditional and cultural practices related to the production processes of artisan mezcal and the underdevelopment for artisan producers.
In addition, there is a negative impact on the environment and risks to endemic biodiversity due to the excessive and disorderly exploitation of the agave. For these reasons and considering the current and potential relevance of the agave, the deputy Liz Hernández Matus proposes a law, of an integral nature in matters that regulate the productive chain, as a preponderant strategic activity for the economic, social, cultural and tourist development in the State, contemplating the preservation of agaves and their sustainable use, without undermining the environmental balance and biodiversity.
The State Law for the Promotion of the Cultivation of Agaves and the Production of Mezcal seeks to regulate the productive chain of the drink, as a strategic activity for the economic, social, cultural and tourist development in the State. It is established that the Governor of the State will formulate and conduct the state policy for the protection, promotion, cultivation, production, management and sustainable use of agaves and their derived raw materials, as well as the certification and commercialization of mezcal.
In addition, the promotion of scientific and cultural research and the use of new technologies to develop the cultivation of agaves and the production of mezcal are proposed. The law will also provide legal advice and technical training for the subjects of the law and it will promote the construction, improvement and operation of infrastructures and communications in productive matters, as well as the activities and expansion of tourist services related to mezcal in the municipalities of the Entity. Likewise, the deputy Liz Hernández Matus highlights the promotion of the social and productive organization of farmers and producers to generate associative systems and schemes for rural production, which allows them to better manage their commercial and productive activities.
The law is based on the following normative axes:
Natural heritage: regarding the protection of biological diversity and environmental sustainability.
Cultural heritage: related to the legal recognition of agaves and mezcal as intangible cultural heritage and the protection of cultural and traditional practices related to their production.
Promotion and economic development: with the aim of promoting the development of the productive and tourist chain of mezcal, including the promotion of the social and productive organization of farmers.
Source: Quadratin
