Spain: That - apparently - is it

Citrus farmers of the Vega Baja area of Alicante Province have now officially ‘closed the tap’ on their watering systems and effectively leaving some 47,000 tons of lemons to rot either on the trees or on the ground.

A similar amount of oranges are also expected to be affected in this way as the farmers complain about the price structure: they are paid 5 centimes a kilo, when the fruit costs 15 centimes a kilo to produce. On top of that markets sell citrus fruit for an average price of 51 centimes and the price at the final point of sale is 1.32 Euros a kilo or an increase of 2,540% over the original price.

Commenting on this, Cristobal Aguado the President of the Valencian Farmers Association stated this his members ‘were being treated like American slaves in the 19th century’ and called for a demonstration tomorrow under the slogan There has been enough robbery.

Source: valencialife.net