By Tara Rippin • Published: 31 Jan 2020 • 16:28
AT RISK: The future of the bagged grape industry hangs in the balance. CREDIT: File pic
SOARING production costs and a lack of profitability threaten the future of the Vinalopo bagged grape farming industry in the region, with another farmer taking the drastic action to abandon land cultivated over generations this week.
Armed with chainsaws, five workers destroyed 10,000 grapevines with 100,000 kilos of Aledo grapes as the family were forced to call it a day at their Novelda vineyard.
According to reports, the sector is at risk of disappearing completely, threatening 13,000 direct jobs, one of the steadfasts of the regional economy and thousands of farms in Vinalopo.
High production costs, the disproportionate increase in agricultural insurance, the rise in the minimum wage, and a lack of quality water and public aid, have all been blamed for the extreme decisions many farmers are having to make.
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Tara Rippin is a reporter for Spain’s largest English-speaking newspaper, Euro Weekly News, and is responsible for the Costa Blanca region. She has been in journalism for more than 20 years, having worked for local newspapers in the Midlands, UK, before relocating to Spain in 1990. Since arriving, the mother-of-one has made her home on the Costa Blanca, while spending 18 months at the EWN head office in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol. She loves being part of a community that has a wonderful expat and Spanish mix, and strives to bring the latest and most relevant news to EWN’s loyal and valued readers.
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