Although kidney bean production was the second most important crop in the southeastern part of the country, it has lost its important status and has become something of an ‘anecdote’.
High labor costs, foreign competition, and limited ability to cope with the post-harvest period are reducing the area of land dedicated to specific fruit and vegetable crops. For example, kidney bean production had a large presence in the 1980s, but is now very small-scale, said Andrés Góngora, head of the fruit and vegetable sector at the Coordinator of Farmers and Livestock Organizations (COAG). said.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), the area under cultivation of green beans will decrease from 12,200 hectares in 2009 to 7,272 hectares in 2022. In 2023, it decreased again to 6,883 hectares. Regionally, Andalusia is the main autonomous community specializing in this crop, followed by Galicia. Its presence in Cantabria and Madrid is minimal.
Gongora said growing green beans is a highly manual process and is therefore particularly affected by labor costs. Additionally, competition from countries such as Morocco has led many companies to relocate their green coffee production to Morocco. In the 1980s, green beans were his second most important crop in the southeastern part of the country, but their importance declined over time.
The decrease in cultivated area is also reflected in production, which will increase from 196,000 tons in 2009 to 134,100 tons in 2022 and approximately 124,200 tons in 2023, according to the latest data from MAPA. is gradually decreasing. Rising labor costs could also threaten the cultivation of other crops such as cherry tomatoes and peppers. Although these crops do not face the same conditions as beans, they can be challenged by the labor demands associated with harvesting.
The reduction in acreage is related not only to the amount of labor these crops require, but also to whether the food can withstand the post-harvest period, as they dry out quickly, as in the case of cucumbers. .
This green bean case highlights the loss of varieties and seeds in agriculture due to structural issues such as labor costs, or small-scale factors. To address this problem, the Madrid Institute for Rural, Agricultural and Food Research and Development (Imidora) has established a genetic resource bank aimed at preserving endangered species and adapting them for commercial use.
Source: efeagro.com