The Platform for the Defense of Tomato asked the minister solutions to the agony of the sector.

THE MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE AT 17:30 HOURS AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE IN MADRID.

This Thursday 29 may, to the 17,30 hours, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Platform for the Defense of Tomatoes, Fruits and Vegetables of the Canary Islands will hold a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture in order to address the solution to the serious situation in which this sector is immersed and that, of not having a solution, would affect 20.000 jobs that depend on it.

“In a matter of 15 years we have spent exporting 200.000 tons to 90.000, hectares of production have been reduced 4.500 to 840 and jobs have been reduced 16.500 to 10.000. And the central and regional governments continue to pass the buck without taking responsibility for the committed funds.” – says Gustavo Rodríguez, platform spokesperson.

“The main demand with which the platform goes to the Ministry is the payment of the debt by both administrations. The Government of the Canary Islands owes more than 14 million euros, and the central government has to face a payment of almost 8 million euros.

The situation is so extreme that the next tomato growing campaign in the Canary Islands is in danger of starting if the payment of the debt by both administrations is not made effective.. The social drama that these can entail 10.000 direct jobs and others 10.000 indirect is incalculable. It would mean an increase of 2-3% in the unemployment rate of the Canary Islands” – says Gustavo Rodríguez.

“These breaches have caused an extreme situation in which we no longer talk about euros.”, commitments, motions, decrees or propositions. We mean people: workers, businessmen, women, families and towns that depend on this activity to continue living with dignity” – They say in their petition created by the Platform for the Defense of Tomatoes, Fruits and Vegetables Canary Islands.

The Platform will bring to the minister the most 20.000 signatures of support that they have collected in the initiative that they launched on the online platform Change.org. “Initiatives like this Platform show that anyone, in a matter of minutes, You can create a petition through Change.org to get thousands of people to join your cause”, says Francisco Polo, Director of Change.org in Spain.

The platform is made up of provincial employers' associations, FEDEX, ACETO, the agricultural organizations ASAJA and COAG Canarias and the unions with a presence in the SITCA sector, STU, Coordinator of Aparcería Intersindical Canaria and CC.OO.