Jorge AguilarSEGUIRMadrid Updated: Save Send news by mail electrónicoTu name *
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The food industry, that has been essential during the course of the confinement, will not escape the negative effects that will cause the coronavirus. According to the Spanish Federation of Industries Food and Beverages FIAB in its economic report, the sector will produce this year by up to 8% less , around 10,000 million euros, while the direct employment would decrease in up to 11,000 people. If you are part of the indirect, the bill could reach as high as 23,000.
These bad forecasts regarding labour matters will cause the close to 800 companies in the sector . For its part, exports will also be reduced, with a fall of up to 11%, which would lead her to stand at levels of four years ago.
These figures would be the worst scenario would be for the sector, which depends very much on whether there is a second wave of cases of coronavirus from here to the end of the year. If not any, the industry agroalimetaria also recorded losses, and therefore would break a streak of six years of continuous growth.
“This year we will have a great impact on employment, production and exports, and we expect to start to recover next year. We are confident that in 2022, let us return to figures similar to 2019”, explained the director general of FIAB, Mauricio García de Quevedo. The numbers of 2019, which have been presented today, were again positive for the sector, which recorded a growth in production of 2%, until you reach the 119.224 million euros . In regards to employment, it grew in 436.700 affiliates by 2.5%, while exports came to the 32.363 billion euros.
This streak will be truncated this year. The confinement resulted in the closure of tourist establishments and restaurants, that account for a large part of the supply in the sector. “The closure of the channel horeca and the paralysis of the tourism severely affects our industry, which allocates 30% of its offering to the hospitality industry. Even many of our companies devoted their entire production to this channel and some sectors more than 80% of its turnover”, said the director general of FIAB.
To alleviate the effects of the crisis, the sector calls for urgent measures, among which the share of liquidity to the companies and to extend the flexibility of the ERTE.
Tariffs and Brexit
he Also had words of García de Quevedo on the impact on exports of the tariff-taxes for Donald Trump in the sector, and the threat of Brexit. “We have found many difficulties for export by the closure of markets , and this has been our axis of growth in recent years and we cannot lose it,” he explained.
the concern of IFLA has joined the secretary-general of Food and Agriculture, Fernando Miranda, who has warned that this crisis may lead to new protectionist measures. In addition, it has been recognized that now it is being complicated to reach agreements with the U.S., which imposed tariffs in the olive oil, table olives and wine, among other products, because they are preparing for the election campaign.
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