As a result of this increase in costs, some farmers have had to give up the aid of the administrations for the improvement or new construction of greenhouses, stated Francisca Iglesias, secretary general of the Union of Small Farmers of Almeria.
"These grants, which were requested in 2021, were announced at the end of last month. However, since there's been such an alarming rise in the construction price per square meter, there have been farmers who have had to renounce this aid because they cannot cope with the high costs. To allow access to these aids that have already been granted, the Andalusian Government has approved that 50% of the investment that had been initially planned can be claimed," stated the head of UPA Almeria.
A few years ago, a 10,000 square-meter greenhouse ranged from 300,000 and 400,000 euros. The new structures that are being designed for the province of Almeria can currently cost 600,000 to 700,000 euros, depending on the technology that producers want to install and the materials they choose.
"We are noticing a decline in demand for structures"
The construction sector itself has confirmed that there's a slowdown in the construction of new greenhouses and the remodeling of old ones in the province of Almeria. The manager of Invernaderos Ortega, Francisco Ortega, said that this rise in prices, which has occurred in recent months, is affecting the greenhouse construction companies. "We are noticing a decrease in the demand for structures," he said.
Source: diariodealmeria.es