Corona epidemic in Spain severely damages unpaid strawberry crops

Barcelona, ​​April 28, 2020, Wednesday

Millions of people in Spain have been infected with the corona virus and hundreds have died. As the Spanish border with Morocco is sealed off to control the corona, laborers cannot come every year to harvest strawberries and fruits. Farmers in Spain, a European country most affected by the corona virus infection, are going through a very difficult time. Even so, farmers were disturbed by higher production costs and lower prices, with the Corona epidemic worsening the situation.

The Huelva region of Spain is known for strawberry cultivation where more than 90 percent of strawberries are grown. Strawberry cultivation in this area is the only source of income. If strawberry cultivation is done after this area is deserted then it will become poor. With the onset of April, strawberries from all over Spain begin to move throughout Europe. Currently the strawberries are ready but there is no labor to unload them. Germany and Britain are the largest buyers of Spanish strawberries, but demand for the corona virus has dropped by 40 to 60 percent. According to the Spanish trade union Interfresa, there was good demand in backyard restaurants, hotels and cafeterias, which have now been reduced, with people avoiding going out in situations like lockdowns.

Spain produces 4 million tons of strawberries a year

According to one source, in addition to Morocco, more than 25,000 laborers from Romania, Bulgaria and Poland come from across the border to cultivate strawberries. The series has been going on for years but the strawberry is being crushed due to lack of labor in the wake of the Corona epidemic. Manuel Delgado Cabeja, a professor at the University of Sevaya, believes that agriculture and allied industries are suffering because of the shortage of labor. The euro is done.