According to FEPEX, a new transporters strike would affect a total of 250,000 tons of fruit and vegetables destined for foreign markets and 200,000 tons for the national market each week of July. The sector mainly transports its goods, which are highly perishable products, by truck, and July is one of the months in which fruit and vegetable consumption and export peaks.
If the call for a new transport strike is ratified on Sunday and starts on June 30, the sector could lose some 250 million euros, which is the value of the export of fresh fruit and vegetables in one week of July, and approximately 280 million euro, on the national market each week.
The most affected products will be summer fruits, especially peaches, apricot nectarine, plums, and cherries, because of their highly perishable nature. The most affected vegetables will be tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce.
According to FEPEX, the fruit and vegetable producing and exporting sector, which is crucial for the social and economic sustainability of the producing areas, would be seriously affected by the strike as the collection and marketing of these products cannot be postponed, and July is a month of maximum activity. Thus, they said, it is essential that the free transit of perishable products be respected.
