RURAL GROUP, 29th of April, 2011

Today, we have visited the saltpans called Salinas de Tenefe. These saltpans were established at the end of the 18^th century in order to supply salt to the fishermen fishing near the African coast. Nowadays, they are the most important saltpans on the island and cover an area of approximately 20 000 m². The salt production is very efficient, so the outcome is 300 000 kg of salt per year. In 2005, Punta de Tenefe saltpans were declared cultural heritage and the visitor’s centre was founded. There visitors can get informed about the history, production and significance of the saltpans. Even though the salt production is quite high, the island is not self-sufficient and salt import is needed. In the afternoon, we have visited a tomato museum “La Zafra”. There, we could overview the whole production process and history of tomato. Tomato was one of the most important crops in Gran Canaria, however, recently the production of tomato has decreased.