Despite having been the second most important crop in the southeast of the country, the production of green beans has lost its prominent position and has become something of an "anecdote".
The high labor costs, competition with foreign countries, and the limited capacity to face the post-harvest period have resulted in a decrease in the extension of land dedicated to certain fruit and vegetable crops. Green bean production, for example, had a strong presence in the 1980s but now it's very small, stated Andrés Góngora, head of fruits and vegetables at the Coordinator of Farmers' and Livestock Organizations (COAG).
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (MAPA), the area cultivated with green beans decreased from 12,200 hectares in 2009 to 7,272 hectares in 2022. In 2023, the area fell again to 6,883 hectares. By area, Andalusia is the leading autonomous community dedicated to this crop, followed by Galicia. Its presence in Cantabria and Madrid is minimal.
Since it is a very manual process, the cultivation of green beans has been especially affected by labor costs, Góngora stated. In addition, competition from countries such as Morocco has led many companies to move their green bean production to that country. In the 1980s, green bean was the second most important crop in the southeast of the country, but its importance has diminished over time.
The decrease in cultivated area is also reflected in production, which has gradually decreased from 196,000 tons in 2009 to 134,100 tons in 2022 and approximately 124,200 tons in 2023, according to the latest data from the MAPA. Rising labor costs could also threaten the cultivation of other products, such as cherry tomatoes or mini-peppers, which, despite not facing the same situation as green beans, could have complications due to the labor demands associated with harvesting them.
The reduction in crop area is not only related to the amount of labor required by these crops but also to the ability of the food to withstand the post-harvest period, as in the case of cucumber, which dehydrates quickly.
This case of the green bean highlights the loss of varieties and seeds in agriculture, either due to structural problems, such as labor costs, or to smaller-scale factors. To address this problem, the Madrid Institute for Rural, Agrarian, and Food Research and Development (Imidra) has established a germplasm bank that seeks to preserve and adapt endangered varieties for commercial use.
Source: efeagro.com