Concern about the availability of water for growing vegetables has also reached the garlic sector. In fact, this could be the main reason that the main Andalusian producers, who are concentrated in Montalban (Cordoba), look for plots with wells that guarantee the necessary irrigation for their productions in other Spanish areas for the next season; mainly in Castilla-La Mancha.
The president of the National Garlic Table of Asaja, Miguel del Pino, stated that they still couldn't assess how many hectares of Andalusian garlic could be sown in Castilla-La Mancha or where there are lands with well-irrigation. However, any transfer would have consequences on the agricultural labor force in the first part of the production process, he said.
Garlic producers of Montalban –an area where they traditionally sow some 2,000 hectares of garlic each September–, are considering moving because they have only been guaranteed water for their first irrigation, that of the sowing, as all irrigations will be cut off as of October 31, Del Pino stated. Producers will only know how much water they'll have at their disposal when the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation analyzes the water situation and decides how much water there is for the different products and crops.
"That's the issue and the danger for garlic this year," the business leader stated. "The dilemma right now is in the irrigation zone of Genil-Cabra and in the Guadalquivir, which supply the Montalban area," he added.
Relocating the garlic crops would affect the first phase of labor, i.e. that of harvesting. Each campaign generates between 400,000 and 500,000 wages, and jobs for 2,000 to 3,000 people, many of which are concentrated in the harvest; a volume that, if the plantations were to be transferred to another region, would be partially diminished in Montalban, which each season attracts employment from other populations.
The rest of the process, Del Pino said, won't affect the workforce because the selection, packaging, and distribution will continue to be carried out from the facilities of companies in Montalban.
Source: efeagro.com
