Spain: Calls for authorities to protect supply chain of fresh food

A senior official of a major Spanish cooperative of fruit and vegetable producers called on Wednesday for authorities to protect the supply chain of fresh food amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Andres Gongora, the secretary of the COAG fruit and vegetable growers' cooperative in Almeria, said that although he and other growers were able to meet the spike in demand caused by consumer stockpiling he was concerned that the transport network could fail.

"We've already come across a few cases of transport companies refusing to go to certain areas of Italy," said Gongora, standing alongside neat rows of cucumber plants destined for the major supermarkets of Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

"We're really calling on the Spanish government to provide security measures for the transport companies and truck drivers so that they can carry out their work because they're the ones who have to go to certain places where there are difficult situations," he added.

Gongora also said a national shortage of masks was making it hard to protect his workers properly.

Covering over 31,000 hectares (76,600 acres) and visible from space, Almeria's greenhouses produce approximately 3.5 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables per year, according to Gongora.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.