After previously allowing the first trucks carrying Egyptian strawberries from Tulpin Group to pass on Tuesday, the blockade by protesting farmers from the Algemeen Boerensyndicaat (ABS) (General Farmers Syndicate) at Oostende airport has now been completely lifted, following the self-proclaimed "strawberry agreement." The lifting of the blockade came after negotiations with Mayor John Crombez, who has promised to relay the farmers' concerns to politicians in Brussels, VRT reports.
Strawberry agreement
Alain Tulpin, CEO of the company bearing his name, acted as an intermediary in recent days during the talks that led to the 'strawberry agreement.' "As a symbol, I offered a few crates of strawberries. As a result, there is now an image in the Belgian media showing all of us posing with strawberries. Instead of champagne, you see representatives of the ABS together with the mayor and a crate of strawberries, which is how it came to be called the 'strawberry agreement,'" Alain says.
© Tulpin Group
Alain in conversation with ABS activists
"I tried to handle everything constructively. I stood outside for two days, but that was where it was happening; besides, I understand them. They certainly have reasons to protest. Fortunately, flights at Ostend have now almost completely resumed. Today, we have already restarted three flights. Tomorrow we will probably add one more, after which operations in Ostend will be back at full capacity."
Perspective
"The most important thing is that today we are embarking on a path that once again offers agriculture perspective," Crombez told VRT. "The agreements have been bundled into a package of demands that we will submit to higher-level politics. Too many negative decisions have been taken for the sector in recent years. Now there must be a turnaround, also to give young farmers a future again."
"As far as future blockades are concerned, I hope they will not return," Alain adds. "The mayor has committed to passing the list of agreements on regulations and the Mercosur agreement to his political group, to help create a level playing field for farmers compared to large companies. These are the real grievances of farmers, because for many of them the water is up to their lips." On Wednesday evening, after three days, the blockade was lifted, and the site was neatly cleared.
Positive Egyptian season due to lack of Moroccan and Spanish products
As a result, the Egyptian strawberry season for Tulpin Group is continuing and is also developing positively. "From a market perspective, things are going very well for us at the moment. There are virtually no strawberries coming from Morocco or Spain right now, so the market is essentially open for us. This means we can supply a large part of the market, and demand for Egyptian strawberries is being met well."
