Farmers in Xàbia are also suffering the consequences of COVID-19, especially when it comes to picking the orange. Right now, the harvest is in the final moments of collection of the varieties Navel late y Navel powell, and they will start with the variety Valencia Late. We analyze the situation with the citrus businessman and delegate of the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA) in Xàbia, Juan Antonio Miñana.
Problems moving teams
Due to the safety distance that must be maintained between people to avoid contagion of coronavirus, "now only three people can come in a van, or a single person in a normal car", explains Miñana. It should be borne in mind that many of the seasonal workers do not have their own vehicle or a driving license, so other solutions must be proposed that increase the cost of collection: "School transport buses are offering to bring people, since in a bus the safety distance can be maintained, of course, by transporting far fewer people than the available seats", explains the AVA delegate in Xàbia.
Consumption at home rises, and consumption for hotels decreases
Has the demand for fruit and vegetables decreased due to the closure of restaurants and the absence of tourism? Xarxa Agrícola, a project developed by CREAMA, collects the opinion of the horticultural producers of the Marina Alta: One of them is concerned in the long term, since many of the restaurants he works for may not be able to recover after this closure. However, Juan Antonio Miñana believes that the prices are being reasonable, because people are consuming more at home than before, and this aspect partially compensates for the lack of hospitality. In the same way that some producers of Xarxa Agrícola think, Miñana focuses on local markets: "Many colleagues who worked taking their fruit and vegetables to the weekly markets in the towns did lose the output of their products".
"When they come badly given, the farmers are there"
According to the citrus businessman from Xàbia, farmers' problems are virtually the same with or without coronaviruses: "National consumption is not going to be very affected. Another thing is that the market floods us with products from other countries, with much less health guarantees and that they exercise unfair comxicotetion. That is our usual problem. But now they should realize that when they come wrong, we are there to supply our market. " This is the Full interview which Xàbia.com only dedicated a few days ago to this topic.
Agriculture in danger of extinction
Miñana explains that "We are always asking for the same: justice". In addition, he points out that taking care of agriculture would avoid a lot of depopulation, and that the problem of leaving the profession is very big: "We live a lot from tourism, the majority of people who were farmers have thrown themselves into that sector, which is an easier way of life. There are around 200 members of AVA in the Xàbia area, but who are exclusively dedicated to agriculture , it will be about ten people. "
