Malaga province lemon growers consider leaving the fruit on the trees this year due to the pittance they get

Lemon growers across Malaga province could abandon their harvest this year due to the low price they are being paid per kilo.

The Malaga union of small farmers (UPA) said this year's harvest is a "total ruin" for the province's producers, who are being paid between 18 and 30 cents per kilo at source, despite consumers paying up to three euros for them in supermarkets. "It is a dire situation which means that many growers are thinking of leaving the lemons on the tree without harvesting them because they are not compensated sufficiently," UPA Malaga secretary general Francisco Moscoso said.

Lemon production has improved "considerably" compared to last year, despite a lack of water in the Guadalhorce valley, increasing by 34%, although it is less than the average of the past four harvests. About 54,437 tonnes will be harvested from the nearly 4,500 hectares under production in the province, compared to 40,523 tonnes last year, which means Malaga province represents more than half of the 110,6963 tonnes registered by the Andalusian government.

Moscoso said the price at source went from 48 cents per kilo on average last year to 18 cents this season. "The maximum is 30 cents, depending on the quality and category, but the problem is when you find the same kilo of lemons on the shelves for three euros. It's a real nonsense," he added.

Production costs

It comes as production costs "have risen considerably" from the 80 or 90 cents it cost to produce a kilo of lemons last year to the 1.5 euros it costs this year. "On the other hand, we are seeing how the prices we receive at source, instead of rising, have fallen considerably," Moscoso said. He demanded Spain's food chain law be complied with and that those who do not comply with it be sanctioned. "It is us who work in the primary sector, the weakest part of the chain, who pay the price year after year," the Malaga grower said.

"The same thing happened last year, although at the end of the season, the price recovered somewhat, but it did not cover our production costs either... but this season the situation is even worse," Moscoso added.