Jason Moore01/02/2017 00:00
TW
4

If we can bail out the banks, I am sure that we can help local farmers who have been hit by freak weather. Little or no financial aid appears to be forthcoming from central administration for local farmers who have seen their crops almost destroyed by the recent heavy rains. Farmers provide a vital service to the island; without them we are pretty stuck. But their fate doesn't receive the attention from the government that it deserves. The island's agricultural heartlands have been in recession for decades. Farmers get little or no help from anyone, they just have to struggle through. But surely they have struggled enough?

If the Balearic government is serious about trying to diversify the local economy, then they should be helping other industries not just putting their weight behind tourism and sitting back. Farming on Majorca has a great future, but farmers need help from all sectors. The tourist industry should be urged to buy Majorcan: oranges from Soller, potatoes from Sa Pobla and watermelons from Villafranca should all form part of the shopping list of hotel chefs. There is no reason why the tourist industry can't work hand-in-hand with local farmers. You have to remember that a single orange costs a small fortune in northern Europe but in Majorca sometimes oranges are just left on the trees because it is not cost effective to pick them. A scandalous state of affairs. Farmers need help and quick, but from all.