Spain: horticultural companies leaving Murcia due to drought
As reported by Murcia growers' association Proexport, producers have moved some growing areas to other zones of Spain, mainly to Extremadura, Sevilla, Albacete and the Delta del Ebro. The organization regrets this forced relocation, which they think is due to the lack of organised response to the problem of water.
The major relocation corresponds to the Region of Murcia, affecting mainly lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower crops. Murcia companies which opt for this transfer are farms with strong economies of scale, needing to maintain their production levels to meet their contracts with the retail. Their overall benefits are not very large, due to increasing logistic costs.
According to agroberichtenbuitenland.nl, Juan Marín, member of Proexport, called the current relocation of crops "only a forced way out due to the lack of water, something without a future, simply because of the climate risks also present in some other areas of Spain".
