COAG Córdoba has warned of the complications the garlic sector is going through in the main producing province of this vegetable in Andalusia. The sector "has not covered production costs for four seasons," said the organization's provincial secretary, Carmen Quintero, while the market is registering "strange and unusual behavior: the paradox is that, on the one hand, there is no there are stocks of white garlic in the warehouses, and yet there is not even any interest on the part of buyers in making offers for the product."
On the other hand, the ban on the use of certain active ingredients in the European Union and the lack of effective alternatives have meant that this year many majors have not been able to treat the crop, so garlic producers "have not been able to against pests and, as a consequence, the surface of this crop will likely be reduced by a high percentage in the next campaign." COAG has spoken of losses of 50% for not having been able to treat the pests and for other reasons.
"Farmers work, they invest many hours of their work in the crop, but they are already hitting us in the pocket. After investing a lot of money to be able to grow garlic, they find that they will not even be able to cover the production costs. We are witnessing the death of the sector because Pajero withdraws, Pajero that does not return," he warned.