Five million kilos of unsold potatoes in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands Farmers and Ranchers Association (ASAGA Canarias ASAJA, for its acronym in Spanish) has made a call to encourage consumers to prioritize in their purchases the potato of Canarian origin compared to the productions of the United Kingdom that have begun to arrive at the archipelago.

ASAGA Canarias estimates that currently, about five million kilos of tubers remain in the cold rooms of different cooperatives, both in Tenerife and in Gran Canaria, waiting to be sold.

This volume of production will have to compete at the points of sale with imports that, as their presence in the markets increases, will go down in price, complicating the sales of Canarian potatoes with a higher price due to the high production costs that farmers bear for producing in an ultraperipheral, insular and fragmented territory, which has a negative impact on the profitability and viability of their farms.

Ángela Delgado, The president of ASAGA Canarias:
 

“Always, but even more so in these times of economic crisis such as the current one and when there is an abundant local potato harvest, it is vital to betting on these products against the from outside, for freshness, quality and because buying here, the wealth stays in the territory.”

Since last January 1, 2021, the 'potato from outside' is one of the agricultural products that must pay 15% of AIEM, the Excise Duty on Imports and Deliveries of Merchandise, upon entering the Canary Islands, compared to the 10% that it paid last year.

This increase, which will be in force until 2027, was one of the demands of ASAGA Canarias to the regional Executive during the renewal of this tax, which functions as a protectionist instrument to safeguard local productions.