Economics of the appropriation of specificity rents in protected designations of origin: an exploratory study of "sidra de Asturias" [Spain] | Reflexión económica sobre la apropiación de rentas de especificidad en denominaciones de origen protegidas: estudio exploratorio de la sidra de Asturias

Spanish; Castilian. En febrero de 2004 la Comisión Europea aprobó la denominación de origen protegida sidra de Asturias, amparando así la elaboración de los productos del tercer sector agroalimentario en importancia en Asturias. Aunque aplaudida, la DOP es de compleja aplicación, entre otras causas porque las idiosincrásicas características del sector sidrero asturiano 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 denominación, la garantía de calidad y mayor reconocimiento público del producto supone un aumento de su demanda y, con ello, de los inputs intermedios necesarios para su elaboración. El reparto de las rentas generadas puede ser problemático en caso de que existan excesivas restricciones en el aprovisionamiento de materias primas o de los activos necesarios para la elaboración del producto. El trabajo presenta la problemática de distribución de las rentas económicas generadas en las DOP y, específicamente, en la DOP sidra de Asturias. En esta denominación, de reciente creación, destacan como elementos conflictivos: la aplicación de la denominación conjuntamente a dos sectores productivos que compiten por la misma materia prima, las especiales condiciones de producción de manzana de sidra –recurso ya de por sí escaso sin que exista denominación–, la estructura productiva y comercializadora del sector sidra natural 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 denominación, autóctonas no amparadas y foráneas. El trabajo concluye con recomendaciones sobre cómo afrontar con éxito los problemas que plantea la DOP sidra de Asturias a los agentes económicos involucrados evitando situaciones de cautividad frente al resto de los agentes.

English. In 2004 the European Union approved for Spain the protected designation of origin Sidra de Asturias (Asturian cider). Protected designations of origin create a monopolistic position for the economic agents performing their activities in the geographical area of the PDO. This may lead to the development 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 PDOs 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 the restricted input. In addition, apple trees oscillate their production in biannual terms. There is shortage of apples in even years, increasing thus their selling price. Finally, one of the economic sectors "sidra natural" produces cider that remains consumed in the local market and is not commercialised through 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.