The snowstorms and frosts have taken a toll on the fruit and vegetable sector in several ways, not just with the direct loss of production in the field, but also with disruptions in the logistics process. Numerous Spanish trucks carrying fruit and vegetables were stranded for more than 24 hours, 80 kilometres from the Junquera border crossing between Spain and France.
"Thousands of trucks that were loaded between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning in all parts of Spain were already held in Tarragona, and the next day, around 7:00 pm, they became stranded in Narbonne and Nimes, about 80 km from the border, until 20:00 the next day," says Pedro Díaz, president of the Regional Federation of Transport Business Organizations of Murcia.
According to Pedro Díaz, the goods that were scheduled to arrive on Thursday to destinations such as the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany or Italy have been delayed to Saturday or Sunday. "In the case of perishable products, this can entail major problems. There have been moments of great tension in the sector, since some European supermarket chains may suffer shortages in the supply." Many programs established by Spanish exporters and European chains have been affected and there are many complaints," he says.
There have also been delays and blockades at the Irún border crossing, although shorter, lasting for 7 to 10 hours. "Such delays are not unusual; what we do not understand is how our trucks could be held up for more than 24 hours. That's not normal, considering the amount of snow that has fallen," says Pedro Díaz. "We hope that next time, other measures will be adopted to prevent situations like this," he added.