Andalusian interprofessional fresh produce association Hortyfruta has called on the authorities in the Spanish region to take legal measures to halt the slide in prices for certain products, which it says are failing to cover costs of production.
With the region’s 2010/11 campaign underway for just over a month, the Almería-based organisation said that the sector had already experienced its first fall in prices for the season, but said it was powerless to act to alleviate the situation.
In a statement, Hortyfruta called on the regional government of Andalusia to put in place legal measures to avoid any situation where growers were forced to sell their products at prices below the costs of production.
The association said it had already asked the Andalusian authorities “on a number of occasions” to be given legal powers to take direct action to support producers, but claimed that “excessive bureaucracy” had so far prevented this taking place.
Hortyfruta also called on the Spanish region’s government to reinforce its fruit and vegetable inspection regime to ensure that the extension of Andalusia’s Quality Standard for horticultural products was complied with by all exporting companies.
