Post date: Jul 26, 2012 3:21:53 PM
MADRID, SPAIN (JULY 26, 2012) (REUTERS) - Scores of Spaniards queued for food in central Madrid on Thursday (July 26) as farmers gave away tens of thousands of fresh fruit and vegetables in a protest over high middle-men cuts.
In Spain, farmers angry over middle-man price hikes, give away tens of thousands of fresh fruit and vegetables to the public.
UPA - an umbrella group of agriculture and farming bodies - organised the give-away at Plaza Callao, one of Madrid's most iconic sites.
Organisers said farmers are getting paid low prices for their produce, while consumers face high prices on the supermarket shelves.
"We don't agree with the fact that while we are going bankrupt and are being forced out of business and pulling up our crops, there are other people becoming millionaires by selling our produce and people have to pay a very high price for our produce. That is why we are protesting against," Lorenzo Ramos, UPA's General Secretary, told Reuters.
Spain currently has the highest unemployment rate in Europe with one in five people registered as jobless and over 50% of the people between 19 and 25 unemployed.
The farming sector, usually a source of work for seasonal field labourers, has seen a drop in hirings over the last two years due to the economy crisis.
Many in the queues in Madrid said the food would be a welcome supplement to their table this week.
"With the situation we are in at the moment, you come here to support these people and, on top of that, they help you out a little. Every little thing helps a family. (Journalist asking: Is it difficult to make it to the end of the month?) Yes, it is very difficult with the situation we are in at the moment. Thank god my husband has a job, but we have a family to feed," said Pilar Pua, a mother of three.
Spanish farmers are asking the government to approve a law to regulate the selling prices of their products in supermarkets.
According to UPA, the cost of fertilisers and produce transport can be more than what they earn by selling their products to wholesalers.
"There are a lot in need. People don't want to think about it but there are lot of people in need. In this particular situation, the most affected people are the farmers so we have to support them protesting against the middle-men. The middle-men are right there, in the Corte Ingles. We have to fight them and we have to support the farmers," Domingo Manzano a 56-year old barber said, referring to the Spanish supermaket Corte Ingles.
In total, some 15,000 kilos of produce was given away, according to UPA, along with their protest message.