Spain: “Subtropical fruit exports to the EU down by more than 30% due to protests”
Fruit exporters have acknowledged that the three weeks of protests in France because of the rise in fuel taxes are starting to take their toll on sectors such as the tropical one in the Axarquía, which estimates that exports to European Union countries, and especially to France, have been reduced by more than 30 percent. When the French government announced on Tuesday that it would suspend the tax increase on fuels for six months in order to appease the revolt of the ‘yellow vests’, everyone thought that this would entail a return to normality; the reality, however, is that the tropical fruit sector, which is one of the largest exporters to the European Union, is feeling pessimistic.
According to transport companies and fruit trading companies, the threat of the protests continuing has not ended. In fact, yesterday, some trucks loaded with fruit from the Axarquía suffered delays again, not just for the unloading of their goods at key points, such as Perpignan, but also in their way back.
“Today, like yesterday, we have been able to circulate, however we are accumulating significant delays of almost a day or even more, which means that fruit is arriving late to its destinations,” said Eduardo Vallejo, manager of the Axarquía-based logistics company Cotravelma. He also said that his truck drivers told him they have been warned about protests taking place again this weekend, with the border crossings likely to become saturated.
“This is severely affecting us, carriers. Our drivers have to spend more days travelling in their routes, and we are unable to meet the delivery deadlines or get the load back in time, and that is a serious problem,” he said.
To make matters worse, the road transport federations of the French unions CGT and FO have agreed to call an indefinite strike that will begin next Sunday, December 9.
Prudencio López, manager of Natural Tropic, specialized in the production and marketing of tropical fruits, said that after three weeks of incidents, fruit marketers are starting to notice a decrease in the number of orders, as well as a drop of consumption in France. “Our customers are not placing more orders until they receive the ones they have on the road, which are arriving late.” All this is having a negative impact and we are already starting to see a substantial drop in exports, of between 30 and 40 percent,” said Lopez.
“The problem, according to our sales people, is that it seems that the protests may continue, which means that the transportation of goods and sales will continue to be affected,” said the manager of Natural Tropic.
The main fruits that are currently exported to France and other European countries are mangoes, avocados, lemons, clementines and domestic kumquat, among others.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron asked political and union forces to make a call to end the anti-government protests that are shaking the country and spreading to other sectors. French agricultural producers have also joined in the social discontent. The country’s main agricultural union has announced a series of strikes next week across the country.
The French government wants to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s chaos, when thousands of protesters took the Arc de Triomphe, setting up barricades in the heart of Paris and setting vehicles on fire, all before the incredulous eyes of residents and tourists.