The start of the olive season in Málaga province has seen a jump in the number of thefts from farms, with agricultural produce, tools, machinery, electric cables and almost every conceivable item being a target for the thieves.
ASAJA, the Asociación Agraria de Jóvenes Agricultores, have been meeting with Málaga government representative Hilario López Luna to discuss the situation and are demanding action.
ASAJA would like to see the Guardia Civil closing down the often known outlets for the stolen items and for all thefts to be actually treated as thefts.
Small thefts from farms are often unreported or, if they are reported, the low value of the stolen items means the incident is treated as ‘misconduct’ and not ‘theft’. The thieves, of course, know this and are taking full advantage of the situation.
Some of the thefts of produce have been for ‘personal consumption’, but the majority of items find their way onto the black market through regular outlets. A particularly valuable item to the thieves are the hand-held vibrating machines used for getting the olives down from the branches.
Some farmers have each lost several of these machines within the past couple of weeks, the value of which could be as high as €10,000. Easy pickings for the thieves who are often patiently watching the farmers and waiting for an opportune moment to pounce and make off with their booty.