Citrus success turns sour in Spain

A CITRUS collective in Ribarroja del Turia has gone bankrupt.

The San Antonio Agricultural Cooperative has dismissed its staff, admitting defeat after 60 years in business.

The local socialist party wants the town council to buy the firm’s 5,000 square metre citrus warehouse and other properties, but no deal has been struck yet.

The cooperative peaked in 2004 and 2005, when 2,000 associates produced a combined 9.2 million kilos of citrus fruits. During this time, it was one of the town’s main sources of employment.