James Warren
A SPANISH farmers group has revealed the shocking disparity in orange prices from field to shelf.
Figures from the Coordinator of Farmers and Livestock Organizations (COAG) show that, on average, farmers receive €0.25 for every kilo of oranges they farm.
Once picked, they are loaded onto a flatbed truck and travel no more than 60km to a central distribution point where they are sorted, bagged and sent out to shops.
Once they arrive at supermarkets, consumers are charged €1.60 per kilo for the same orange, an increase of 532%.
Tangerines, a popular crop from the Palma del Rio area of Cordoba, increase 509%, from €0.32 in the field to €1.95 on the shelf.
The disparity is not confined to oranges either; olives, oil and meats are also coming under scrutiny for their huge price hikes as they reach the supermarket shelves.
The Board of Supermarkets explained that price increases are to cover travel costs, packaging costs, overheads and taxes.
However outsiders will most certainly see the disproportionate increases that the farmers will never see.
Despite the apparent inconsistencies, orange farmers are optimistic this year, as prices on the field have risen slightly.
Previous years, orange and tangerine crops have been sold for as little as €0.09 per kilo, pushing some farmers to leave crops on the trees, as production costs outweigh the farming costs.
However current prices of €0.19 per kilo at the start of 2020 have given farmers a ray of hope.
Andalucian farmers have been severely struggling recently, with international tariffs hitting the country hard, and rapidly dropping prices are pushing workers in Spain’s oldest profession to the brink.
So much so that groups of workers are holding protests across the region to demonstrate their unrest over current working situations.
