20 Nov, 2020 @ 20:00
1 min read

Orange farmers on Spain’s Costa Blanca vent anger over sugary drink tax plans

Angry Orange Farmers

COSTA Blanca orange farmers are up in arms over government plans to raise IVA taxes on sugary drinks from 10% to 21%, which will include juice products.

The Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA) described the move as ‘a real nonsense’ and predicted ‘dire consequences’ for local fruit growers.

AVA president, Cristobal Aguado said: “Drinking orange juice is strongly recommended by nutrition experts due to its exceptional qualities in a balanced diet.”

The group said that if a tax rise is imposed, it would hit the image of orange juice being seen as a ‘healthy food’.

It also warned that a price hike would lead to lower demand from customers and that cheap producers from countries like Brazil would benefit by undercutting current orange prices.

A PwC study commissioned by agricultural and food groups claims that a new sugar tax would mean losses of between €14 to €43 million per year for Spain’s farmers.

Food manufacturers could lose as much as €82 million per annum, the survey concluded.

Alex Trelinski

Alex worked for 30 years for the BBC as a presenter, producer and manager. He covered a variety of areas specialising in sport, news and politics. After moving to the Costa Blanca over a decade ago, he edited a newspaper for 5 years and worked on local radio.

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