The Salamanca Provincial Council wants to give new impetus to one of its most important programs to combat depopulation and guarantee the economic future of the municipalities of the province. The Rural Business Fair, held this day in Guijuelo, has served to reaffirm the commitment of the provincial institution with a pioneering initiative that has already allowed 151 businesses to continue and that aspires to continue growing and cross the borders of Salamanca.
The meeting included the participation of the president of the Provincial Council, David Mingo; the mayor of Guijuelo, Roberto Martín; and the deputy for Employment and Rural Development, Antonio Labrador, who have been accompanied by more provincial deputies and councilors from Guijuela, in addition to the interested parties themselves, owners and entrepreneurs. Both David Mingo and Roberto Martín have highlighted the importance of facilitating generational change in establishments that are at risk of disappearing due to retirement, lack of successors or other circumstances.
The fair thus becomes a meeting point between owners who need to transfer their businesses and entrepreneurs interested in starting an economic activity, avoiding the closure of establishments that provide essential services to neighbors.
During his speech, David Mingo highlighted the results of a program that was born in Salamanca and that has subsequently served as a reference for other administrations. “We were pioneers, others copied us,” recalled the provincial president, who highlighted that 151 businesses linked to as many families have managed to find a possibility of continuity thanks to this initiative.
The president has insisted that behind each establishment there is much more than an economic activity. Its permanence contributes to maintaining services, employment and opportunities, especially in smaller municipalities.
As a close example, he mentioned the case of Guijuelo, where an academy and a bar have managed to have continuity thanks to the program. David Mingo recalled that, although Guijuelo is one of the main industrial drivers of the province, its economic activity also requires a wide network of shops and services that serve both its neighbors and the thousands of workers who come to the municipality.
49% of businesses are still looking for relief
One of the most relevant data of the day has been the percentage of establishments that are still looking for an opportunity. As explained by the president of the Provincial Council, 49% of the businesses initially registered in the Salamanca Rural Business program are still available to find people interested in taking on their activity.
This reality shows that there is still significant room for growth and that it is necessary to intensify the dissemination of the business opportunities offered by the rural environment of Salamanca. “We should not settle,” said David Mingo, who has defended the need to strengthen promotional tools, enhance the program’s website, expand advertising and explore new means of communication to ensure that opportunities reach more entrepreneurs.
The objective is for those who wish to start a business project to know the possibilities of establishing themselves in Salamanca, taking advantage of businesses that already have facilities, track records and a developed activity.
A fair beyond Salamanca
The president of the Provincial Council has expressed his desire to give greater projection to the Rural Business Fair, expanding its visibility and looking for formulas to bring the available establishments closer to entrepreneurs from outside the province.
The intention is that Salamanca can show its business opportunities to an increasingly broader public, highlighting the advantages of living and entrepreneurship in its municipalities. To this end, David Mingo has pointed out that security, quality of life, proximity to services and the possibilities of access to housing in certain localities are factors that can favor the arrival of new inhabitants. “The generational change in our province has to be an obligation for the Provincial Council, it has to be a priority objective,” he stressed.
Likewise, he has conveyed to the owners and entrepreneurs the support of the provincial institution to continue developing the program.
On the other hand, the fair has also served to present two support tools aimed at facilitating the start-up and continuity of business activities in rural areas.
On the one hand, a guide to aid and subsidies, which brings together useful information about the resources available for those who want to start or take over an existing business.
On the other hand, a specific guide for entrepreneurs, conceived as guidance material for those considering starting a new professional stage at the head of an establishment.
Both publications complement the intermediation work carried out by the Provincial Council to put owners and possible successors in contact.
Finally, it has been highlighted that beyond the figures, the Rural Business Fairs, of which three have been held this year with this one in Guijuelo and to which the one planned in Carbajosa de la Sagrada will be added on November 21, have shown that the continuity of a business, a bar, an academy or any other establishment can be decisive for the future of a town. Avoiding closure means preserving services for neighbors, maintaining economic activity and generating opportunities for new families to establish themselves in the territory.
The Salamanca Provincial Council thus reaffirms its commitment to a program that aims to turn generational change into a tool for rural development and the fight against depopulation. Because, as David Mingo defended during the day, guaranteeing that towns continue to have businesses, services and opportunities is also guaranteeing that they have a future.
Source: noticiasatiempo.es
