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Alicante’s frost damage: “Lemon prices must rise”

Lemons

The January cold snap has had a severe effect on lemon trees, according to the agricultural group Asaja. It estimated that it had an impact on about 70,000 tonnes of lemons in the region of Alicante. They therefore request that “lemon prices for farmers should rise.”

According to José Vicente Andreu, president of ASAJA Alicante, frost damage has been reported on 33% of insured lemons, “a figure that has not been reported for a long time due to this cause.” Additionally, he remembers that it arrives at a challenging time because by the end of December, over 600,000 tonnes of fino and all verna kinds were still available.

They demand in a statement that the lemon industry association be transparent about how it disseminates information and provide accurate data: “The damage caused by frost is significant, so the sector as a whole must be aware of this data so that there is a serious and proportional relationship in the market and the work of the farmer in the field is respected.”

And for what reason do they request it? They contend that the farmer is the only one who suffers if current information on frost damage and actual commercial lemon stocks is not supplied in a timely manner. One in three policies with lemon and frost coverage have reported this incidence, which happened on January 15th, according to statistics from Asaja.


Between January 10th and 15th, several communities in the Bajo Segura region experienced extreme cold, with temperatures below zero degrees. Extremely cold temperatures reached -4 degrees in the large municipal area of Orihuela, including Dehesa de Pinohermoso, Arneva, Hurchillo, La Murada, and Desamparados; comparable readings were also noted in the towns of Bigastro, Jacarilla, Benejúzar, Almoradí, Daya Nueva, Daya Vieja, Albatera, Benferri, and San Isidro, among others.

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The union emphasises that the citrus fruit, which was on the tree and ready to be harvested, suffered significant dehydration damage as a result of these harsh circumstances. Since it cannot be sold, the farmer is now responsible for absorbing additional losses on top of those incurred in 2024, when a crisis of unparalleled proportions led to many farmers failing to insure their harvests.

The Asaja statement ends by highlighting another factor that they believe is making matters worse: a decline in Turkish lemon imports into Europe in recent years. The recent frosts that have struck that nation’s producing regions will make this truth even more apparent. Argentina, where the tendency of uprooting lemon trees to cultivate other commodities like soybeans and sugar is solidifying, will also see a decline in production in the southern hemisphere.


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Costa Blanca

Two men arrested for drug trafficking in Benidorm

Benidorm Drugs Haul

According to police sources Yesterday, Friday 21st March, two men were arrested in Benidorm (Alicante) on suspicion of drug trafficking in a pub in the city’s English district, where they allegedly hid the drugs in fire extinguishers and cisterns in the establishment’s toilets.

During the raid, officers discovered 85 packets MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, and marijuana. Quique Tortosa, spokeswoman for Benidorm Local Police, said that the drugs were “hidden in fire extinguishers, toilet cisterns,” and under the establishment’s cash register. The arrested persons were allegedly protecting the drugs inside the premises, and officers recovered the cash they were carrying, which appeared to be “the proceeds of sales transactions,” Tortosa explained.

The operation is part of the Benidorm Local Police Response and Prevention Group’s daily inspections of the city’s leisure establishments. Themen have been turned over to the National Police for any required investigations.


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Car thief arrested in Aspe

Guardia Civil Aspe

A 35-year-old thief has been arrested for a succession of vehicle break-ins on the streets of the Alicante town of Aspe.

The man, a Spanish national, was apprehended by the Civil Guard after an investigation was initiated in response to an anomalous increase in this type of crime in the municipality.

The suspect employed a modus operandi based on observation. “He would steal valuables by breaking windows or exploiting unlocked cars when no one was present,” the police explained.

The burglaries persisted without interruption, and they even obtained access to a video that a witness had captured, in which a man was observed tampering with the interior of a vehicle.

The suspect, a criminal with a history of similar offences, was identified by the authorities as a result of the images. Simultaneously, investigators identified that certain stolen items were being advertised on online trading platforms, which expedited the investigation.

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The operation was successfully concluded with the detection of the individual and the recovery of numerous stolen items that were being sold online, thanks to the cooperation of neighbours and the efforts of the officers. A transverse flute, a violin, and numerous radio transmitters were among the items.

The suspect was ultimately apprehended at his residence, where additional items were confiscated, such as digital storage devices and eyeglasses. All of these items have been deposited in official custody at the court’s disposal, pending potential identification.

The detainee has been presented before Novelda Investigating Court No. 1, which has ordered his release on bail.

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Three years in prison for causing a traffic accident in Pinoso that killed two

Alicante Provisional Court

A driver has been sentenced to three years in prison by the Third Section of the Alicante Provincial Court for exceeding the speed limit while intoxicated and testing positive for cocaine. This also resulted in an accident that resulted in the deaths of a couple, aged 83 and 78, and the injury of their 11-year-old granddaughter, who was travelling in a separate vehicle. The incident took place in Pinoso in July 2020.

The individual who was convicted has entered into a plea agreement and has been sentenced for crimes against road safety, reckless homicide, and injuries.

The tragedy took place at an intersection in the heart of Pinoso, near the Rico Lucas speed bump. The vehicle in which the victims were travelling collided sideways with the driver, who was subsequently convicted, as he was travelling at a rate of over 90 kilometres per hour at the time, despite the fact that the speed limit was 30 kilometres per hour.

Following the acknowledgement of responsibility for the crime and the agreement reached with the family of the deceased regarding the payment of financial compensation as a mechanism for reparation for the damage caused, based on civil liability, the Prosecutor’s Office initially requested a six-year prison sentence. However, this sentence was reduced by half.

He was also sentenced to a six-year driving ban in addition to the prison sentence. His vehicle was also confiscated.

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