Agroaldea
Last week, six pallets of tomatoes from the Agadir region were distributed from Mercalaspalmas, south of Morocco.
For a decade, Canarian tomato producers have been denouncing the damage that the sector has suffered due to the EU-Morocco trade agreements that have caused harmful damage., without the EU carrying out an impact study on the effect on community production.
Despite the unsuccessful result and the fact that the battle is being fought in the European markets, Now Canarian producers find that Moroccan tomatoes are already sold in the Canary Islands markets..
Last week, via Mercalaspalmas, Six pallets of Moroccan tomato were introduced under the “suncrops” brand from the Agadir region, south of Morocco. They were practically shipped in their entirety; However, after touring the main stores and food chains - this medium has not been able to find out who bought this tomato.- We have not observed the labeling of Morocco origin in any of them.
The Canarian producers denounce this fact as despicable competition by those who allow this to happen., belittling the thousands of Canarian workers in the tomato sector who are in an extreme situation due to the non-compliance of the administrations that, apparently, also here if they comply with Morocco.
[quote]Working conditions make the Alawite tomato cheaper, with which Canarian production cannot compete.[/quote]
This unfortunate event corroborates the indifference and contempt for a sector that is at its limit.. The agreements reached by the Platform for the Defense of Tomato do not guarantee the continuity of the sector, especially when the total debt is still unknown when it will be collected.
The indignation of the sector is reflected by the impossibility of competing with a country that does not respect working conditions and whose salaries do not exceed eight euros a day on exhausting days..
This was also reported by the Fairfood International organization last year. 9 September, in a report titled “The fruit of their labor. "The low salaries hidden in Moroccan tomatoes sold in European supermarkets" and that comes to support the theses of the Canarian producers who have been denouncing this situation for years..
This report from Fairfood International reveals the paltry wages paid to workers in the tomato sector in Morocco. "These tomatoes harvested and packed the tens of thousands of workers who do not receive a living wage for their hard work. Then, the fruits are sold in European supermarkets, that most of the benefits are being ", explains the document.
The Canarian producers state that the complaints they have been making were not unfounded and they consider this fact as the last straw., to continue increasing, to undermine the survival of the aggrieved sector.
While here we comply with current regulations, Salaries and improvements are agreed upon by agreement and workers are organized in unions., The entry of tomatoes from countries that do not respect any of the basic principles of workers is allowed, which cannot be faced due to the “brutal” difference in production costs, they point out from the bosses.
One of the few possibilities left to producers is that consumers demand tomatoes whose origin is from the Canary Islands., since they will not only be defending an activity but the sustainability of thousands of jobs.