After a disastrous season, Extremadura producers call for an urgent action plan for cherries.

The agricultural organizations UPA-UCE Extremadura and Asaja Extremadura are calling on the regional government to implement “an urgent action plan” for the cherry-growing sector, with the aim of safeguarding the crop after a “disastrous” season for producers in northern Cáceres.

The two organizations submitted the request to the regional minister for Agriculture during a meeting held on Tuesday the 28th in Mérida.

At the end of the cherry-growing season, UPA-UCE Extremadura and Asaja are calling for “concrete responses and real aid” for farmers affected by the storms in May, which caused losses exceeding 20 million euros for cherry producers in northern Cáceres.

Losses and production costs

UPA-UCE Extremadura maintains that many farms lost a significant share of their harvest and reports that producers’ revenues are lower than their production costs.

“The storms damaged cherry cultivation just when the market situation was favorable in terms of prices,” said Óscar Llanos, secretary general of the agricultural organization.

The current insurance system for cherries is an “armed robbery,” because farmers are excluded after recording damage for two years

UPA-UCE also proposed to the regional minister for Agriculture the introduction of a direct payment for these farms, called a “territorial farm management contract,” to support the continuity of family farms and prevent serious disasters such as those caused by last year’s wildfires.

Protection of the agricultural sector

“The cherry tree acts as a natural firebreak: for this reason, the authorities must commit to protecting and maintaining the agricultural sector,” Llanos said.

Both agricultural organizations expressed their support for all farmers and Spanish livestock breeders affected by the extremely serious wildfires of recent days.

The president of Asaja Extremadura, Ángel García, said that around five million kilograms of cherries were lost during this season. “We want to know how much funding the president of the regional government will allocate to cherry producers in northern Cáceres who suffered damage,” he said.

García also described the current insurance for cherries as an “armed robbery” against farmers, since they are excluded from coverage after recording damage for two years.

Source: agroinformacion.com

Image source: Agroinformacion

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