Spain: Castellón could lose 6,000 hectares of citrus

Campaigns end and prices drop. Farmers in Castellón - and in the Community - are at see no way out. This is caused by the lack of help, government debts and the on going price decreases.

As the president of the "Unió de Llauradores i Ramaders", Ramón Mampel, adverted "In this frame of mind we can't keep our businesses. Add the market difficulties to the lack of help and we just can't survive." So, the agricultural organization calculates that, this year, Castellón could lose up to 6,000 hectares of cultivation because producers can't cover costs.

Perspectives are not any better for the whole Valencia Community. In 2011 they lost about 13,000 hectares, predictions are that at the end of 2012 area of abandoned cultivation will reach 20,000 hectares.

Clemenule is, possibly, one of the most clear examples of the situation faced by growers. This mandarin variety - the main cultivation in Castellón - closed the campaign with a drastic price fall. Now, 0.04 Euro is paid for this fruit, despite its cost of production being 0.24 Euro. Of course there's no way to continue.

"We planted so much that production is huge. Now, we can't keep going, or compete with the market prices and earn less by the day as the competition grows," affirmed Mampel.

Source: Las Provincias