Reflexion economica sobre la apropiacion de rentas de especificidad en denominaciones de origen protegidas: estudio exploratorio de la sidra de Asturias

En febrero de 2004 la Comision Europea aprobo la denominacion de origen protegida sidra de Asturias, amparando asi la elaboracion de los productos del tercer sector agroalimentario en importancia en Asturias. Aunque aplaudida, la DOP es de compleja aplicacion, entre otras causas porque las idiosincrasicas caracteristicas del sector sidrero austuriano pueden aumentar los tradicionales desequilibrios que se producen en las denominaciones entre la oferta y la demanda de las materias primas. Como ocurre en toda denominacion, la garantia de calidad y mayor reconocimiento publico del producto supone un aumento de su demanda y, con ello, de los inputs intermedios necesarios para su elaboracion. El reparto de las rentas generades puede ser problematico en caso de que existan excivas restricciones en el aprovisionamiento de materias primas o de los activos necesarios para la elaboracion del producto. El trabajo presenta la problematica de distribucion de las rentas economicas generadas en las DOP y, especificamente, en la DOP sidra de Asturias. En esta denominacion, de reciente creacion, destacan como elementos conflictivos: la aplicacion de la denominacion conjuntamente a dos sectores productivos que compiten por misma materia proma, las especiales condiciones de produccion de manzana de sidra-recurso ya de por si escaso sin que exista denominacion-, la estructura productiva y comercializadora del sector sidra natural y los efectos que puede tener la competencia en el percado eminentemente local de la sidra y los efectos que puede tener la competencia en el mercado eminentemente local de la sidra natural la existencia de tres tipos de sidras: con denominacion, autoctonas no amparadas y foraneas. El trabajo concluye con recomendaciones sobre como afrontar con existo los problemas que plantea la DOP sidra de Asturias a los agentes economicos involucrados evitando situaciones de cautividad frente al resto de los agentes...In 2004 the European Union approved for Spain the protected designation of origin Sidra de Asturias. Protected designations of origin create a monopolistic position for the economic agents performing their activities int he geographical area of PDO. This may lead to the devlopment of regional economic rents and to re-structure the productive socio-economic environment. The possibility of generating economic benefits will attract new firms and established organisations should update their production activity from a more traditional artisan structure to an industrial one. Most probably, those agents performing the restricted activity will achieve a monopolistic position, leading them to increase the prices of their output. This is so, because PDO's increase the demand of final products and, therefore, of the intermediate input products as well. All in all, these demand increases lead to a temporary disequilibrium that is the source of economic rents. In this paper we aim to analyse in depth how the economic rents generated by the PDO may be appropriated by the different performing agents, while addressing the problems that PDOs may create and how can they be overcome. First, it is done on a general basis, and then on its application to the specific study of PDO sidra de Asturias. We consider that this analysis of PDO sidra de Asturias is relevant due to its novelty as a PDO and because there are several elements that reveal themselves as key for the specific study of PDO disequilibrium. First, it is foreseen a disequilibrium in the offer and demand of asturian apple. This disequilibrium is reinforced by the fact that two productive economic sectors will buy restricted input. In addition, apple trees oscillate their production in biannual terms. There is shortage of apples in even years, increasing this their selling price. Finall, one of the economic sectors "sidra matural" produces cider that remains consumed in the local market and is not commercialised throigh large distribution channels and supermarkets. It is also known by the generic term cider and there is not a great use of the manufacturer label. These circumstances create specific problems to appropriate the economic rents originating with the PDO, but also pose strategic concerns to these agents. Some questions are still unresolved, such as: what reaction will have a traditional local market to a new, more expensive product or whether the PDO will be most extensively used by one or another economic sector, leading to a transfer of economic rents to the apple growers. In the paper we review all this theoretical problems of PDOs and provide some advice on how to tackle them, in order to make more effective the use of PDO sidra de Asturias.