Spanish Farmers Protest Plummeting Melon Prices Amid Moroccan Competition

The demonstrations will take place in Níjar and the El Algarrobo region, reports Europapess, which specifies that faced with the sharp drop in melon and watermelon prices recorded in recent weeks, these fruit and vegetable producers from Almeria have expressed their indignation. "The law for the improvement of the food chain, so much defended, does not solve the marketing problems and places the Spanish producer in a disadvantageous competitive position compared to producers from third countries, such as Morocco, who have very low production costs," they say in a joint statement.

"While the purchase price of the products is falling, the retail prices in supermarkets remain high and the law does not protect the weakest link in the chain, which are the farmers and the production and marketing companies," observe Coexphal and Aproa, who denounce the competition of Moroccan products on the European markets in general and the Spanish markets in particular, at a time when the Spanish warehouses "are full of melons and watermelons of exceptional quality".

The producers recall that this "abnormal scenario" had already occurred during the 2020-2021 agricultural season with regard to the fruits and vegetables produced in Almeria. "It has already been two months since the prices of most products have fallen," they point out, also deploring the government’s inaction in the face of this situation.