Spanish fruit and vegetable sector.

Fruit and Vegetable exports stagnate while imported produce grow by 20%

According to recent figures fruit and vegetable imports in Spain have grown by more than 20% while exports of Spanish produce have hardly risen at all. In fact, this year so far and 2007 have seen a drop in exports, a situation which threatens the future of this sector if new markets are not found. In addition, Spanish fruit and vegetable producers could face further set backs if new, stricter EU laws on the use of pesticides are introduced .

The production of fruit and vegetables is one of the pillars of the Spanish agricultural sector estimated to be worth around 15,000 million euros. It also accounts for 37% of agricultural produce and generates around 400,000 jobs a year. Exports generated 7,700 million euros last year alone.

For many years the production of fruit and vegetables was considered to be the jewel in the crown in the Spanish agricultural sector due to its capacity for competitive exports, the profits generated and the quality of produce. However, according to the Director of the Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters (Fepex) all this could be lost if measures are not taken to improve competitiveness .

For Fepex, Spanish producers have lost their capacity to compete against producers from northern EU states which grow produce in greenhouses and are subsidised for using clean energy and which have the advantage of being located near their main export markets. Spanish producers have also lost their competitive edge against cheaper imports from other countries.

According to statistics for 2007, 9.58 million tonnes of Spanish fruit and vegetables were exported, a drop of 1.15% compared to 2006. However, they sold for 7,687 million euros which is 4% more than the previous year.

On the other hand, during the same period imports grew to 2.56 million tonnes estimated to be worth 1.486 million euros, which is a growth of almost 24%.
EU member states account for 93.48% of the Spanish fruit and vegetable export market with the UK, France and Germany as the main buyers together with the emerging Polish market. However, these countries also receive cheaper exports from other countries and from northern European producers such as Holland.

Unemployment rising in Spain

Unemployment continues its upward trend in April for the first time since 1996

Official unemployment figures went up by 37,542 in April, a month which is usually good for employment statistics. This is the first time since 1996 that unemployment has risen with respect to March. According to the Ministry of Work and Immigration there are now 2,338,517 registered unemployed workers in Spain.

In fact unemployment has risen by 315,393 (15.59%) over the last twelve months. Last year unemployment dropped by 36,327 in April which is almost the same number that it has risen this year.

Following favourable figures for March when the number of registered unemployed dropped by 14,356 following five consecutive months of rises, unemployment rose in April mainly due to unemployment in the construction sector with a rise of 16.647 more people in this sector without a job (5.2%) and in the service industry with 17,455 more unemployed (1.2%).

The highest rise in unemployed has been among men with 28,230 more unemployed (2.9%), while in comparison unemployment among the female working population only rose by 9,312 (0.7%). At the end of April the total number of unemployed men was 996,715 and the total number of unemployed woman was 1,341,802. Compared to figures for April 2007 male unemployment is up by 30% and female unemployment by 6.7%.
Unemployment among the under 25 year olds has risen by 6,852 which is 2.5% more compared to March. For the over 25 year olds unemployment has risen by 30,690 (1.5%).

Unemployment went down in 5 regions in April: Baleares had 3,951 less registered unemployed, the Basque Country had 833 less and Navarra 618 less. On the other hand, unemployment went up in 12 regions headed by Andalucía with 8,928 more, and Catalonia with 7,747 more registered unemployed.

In contrast, the number of contracts for new jobs went up by 5.3% compared to April 2007 with a total of 1,459,666 new contracted jobs which means that it was the best month on record for this statistic. Permanent contracts accounted for 12.97% of the total which is an annual increase of 12.05%.

Waiting lists for operations in Spain

Carmen and Miguel are just two of the 287,950 people who, according to figures recorded last year, have been waiting for an operation in Spain for seven and eleven months respectively. However, according to figures provided by regional health authorities the national average is just 66.55 days, just over two months, for operations on the national health.

El Pais runs a report today in which it claims to have discovered that the regions with the longest waiting lists for operations are: Cantabria (152.16 days), Catalonia (117.95), Galicia (84), Aragón (77) and Extremadura (67). These five regions all have waiting lists above the national average. The regions with the shortest waiting lists are Melilla (31.73 days), La Rioja (40) and la Comunidad Valenciana (45).

Madrid and the Canary Islands are not included in the figures. Madrid doesn’t record the number of days a patient has to wait for an operation until he or she sees the anaesthetist, a practice which takes about 30 days off the waiting time, which is why the government has excluded it from official statistics. While the Canary Islands refuses to publish figures on its waiting lists, although information provided in June 2006 placed it near the bottom of the list.

It appears that the government is partly responsible for the lack of transparency on waiting lists at a national level. The Ministry of Health has refused to publish waiting lists for each region although it receives information on the number of patients waiting for an operation every quarter. Furthermore, the information it receives is broken down into specialities and includes numbers for the 11 most commonly performed operations. The government has tried to cover up its silence by citing the agreement it has with the Inter-territorial Council. Nevertheless, it has been accused of hiding behind this pact in order to excuse the lack of information regarding waiting times.

The Health Ministry only publishes the total number of patients waiting for an operation in the whole of Spain and according it the latest official figures published in June 2007 there were 364,901 patients who had been waiting an average of 70 days for an operation.

Recently there has been concern over the number of regions which appear to have attempted to cover up their figures. In fact the public prosecutor is at present investigating the University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves in Granada for suspected manipulation of its figures on waiting lists.

There is currently no official organization responsible for overseeing these figures. At present the government just collates them and takes the information as correct and accurate. However, as El Pais suggests, it appears that an overhaul of this system is long overdue.

Healthcare in Spain # My heart operation in Spain # Pregnancy in Spain #
English-speaking doctors in Spain

Stricter penal measures for driving without a licence in Spain

Drivers without a licence or without any points left could be sent to prison

Wednesday this week was the last day of the moratorium conceded by the government following the reform of traffic laws last December. The new penal code made driving without a licence an offence punishable by a prison sentence of between 3 to 6 months. Other sanctions for the same offence include having your licence taken away for between 1 and 2 years or being ordered to do community service of between 31 and 90 days duration.

However, following a move by the senate, the government conceded a moratorium until 1st May 2008. The same penalties are applicable to those drivers who have had their licence taken away through a judicial decision or those that have lost all 12 points from their driving licence.

According to the Department of Traffic (DGT), more than 25,000 drivers were punished for driving without a valid licence in 2007 and it is calculated that around 30,000 people drive on Spanish roads everyday without a being licenced to drive. DGT has sent letters to the 25,000 people who were sanctioned for driving without a licence informing them the new driving laws due to come into effect tomorrow.

This campaign is aimed at informing drivers of the new laws due to come into effect tomorrow, because it thought that most cases are down to people who are normally licensed to drive but who are doing so under irregular conditions.

DGT also points out that anyone involved in an accident and who is found to be without a valid licence has repercussions for all those involved as insurance companies refuse to pay out if the accident involves a person driving without a licence regardless or not of whether the car is covered by an up to date insurance policy or not.

The penal code amended last December also allows for prison sentences for the following driving offences: breaking the 60 km/h speed limit in residential areas, going over 80 km/h on main roads, being above 0.60 milligrams of alcohol per litre of air and 1.2 grams per litre of blood or refusing to be tested for alcohol levels and for those who drive without a valid licence.

The new laws come into effect on the eve of a 4 day bank holiday in Spain when it is expected that the volume of traffic on Spanish roads will increase significantly.

See: Driving in Spain

Fires in Canary Islands out of control

The wild fires that have been burning on La Gomera (one of the islands that make up the Canary Islands) since last Saturday is still out of control due to adverse weather conditions. At the moment the Garajonay national park remains unaffected. However, there are fears that the fire could spread towards this area.

The Defence Ministry has sent 50 military personnel to help put out the fires that are currently burning on La Gomera. Very few areas where the fire is burning have been brought under control and there is still a lot of work left to be done.
The President of the Canary Islands’ government said yesterday that as the wind was still strong and temperatures high ‘it was necessary to carry on working and hope that weather conditions would improve overnight’.

At present the fires have burnt between 700 and 800 hectares. The most intense part of the fire is in the upper part of the Hermigua district, in the area near La Palmita and Los Aceviños.

During yesterday afternoon three hydroplanes, sent by the Environment Ministry with a capacity for 5000 litres of water, joined forces with the four helicopters that have been working to damp down vegetation in an attempt to prevent the fire advancing towards the Garajonay national park. It is expected that two more helicopters will join fire fighting teams today.

Rivero said that the island’s terrain was hindering efforts to get the fire under control and that fire fighters were having to work day and night.

The Canary Islands’ government has confirmed that schools will be open today in La Gomera except for the CEO Mario Lhermet, in Hermigua, given that the fire is now approaching this area.

The areas where the hydroplanes and helicopters are working are Ancón de Liria, Pista del Cura, Moledores and Aceviños, all in the Hermigua district in La Palmita, on the border with Agulo, as well as in the Barranco del Clavo, in the Vallehermoso district, which became a new centre of the fire yesterday afternoon.

All those who had been evacuated have been allowed to return home except for the inhabitants of Aceviños and La Palmita.

The town hall of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has prepared a team of 6 personnel and a lorry carrying 7000 litres of water to help fight the fires burning on La Gomera.
Electricity supplies have been restored in all areas except for Los Aceviños and La Palmita which are still affected. Fixed telephone lines have also been re-established, although mobile connections are still experiencing problems in certain areas.