ARCHIVED - Traffic disruption inevitable in Murcia on Friday as protesting farmers gather with 250 tractors

Columns will make their way to Murcia from the Campo de Cartagena and other areas during the morning

Severe disruption is expected on the roads in and around the city of Murcia on Friday 21^st February as farmers from all over the Region converge on the capital to protest over the low prices they are being paid for their products, an event which will culminate in approximately 250 tractors progressing slowly through the centre towards the delegation of the central government in the Region of Murcia, on the north bank of the River Segura.

Similar protests are being held this week in many parts of Spain, and in Murcia the organizers of the COAG, Asaja and UPA unions are expecting a turnout of over 5,000 people involved in agriculture and farming. Three columns of protesters will set out at 8.30 in the morning from the Campo de Cartagena, Alhama de Murcia in the Guadalentín valley and the Venta del Empalme a few kilometres north of Molina de Segura, and they are scheduled to reach the city of Murcia at around 11.00.

The last part of their journey, from the Palacio de San Esteban (the seat of the regional government) to the river will be on foot, and the event is scheduled to end at 14.00 with the reading of a manifesto outside the delegation building.

As well as some 250 tractors, around 100 coachloads of marchers are expected from all over the Region of Murcia, and although the organizers have planned a peaceful event tensions are currently running high in the agricultural sector. Farmers are bemoaning market prices which come close to making some of their crops unviable, and a report published in La Verdad on Thursday states that the imposition of trade tariffs by the USA on citrus fruits imported from the EU has led to sales to Murcia lemon sales to the US falling by 78 per cent, from 4.3 million kilos to 922,000 kilos.

At the same time, it is reported that 4 million euros of Murcia cheese export sales have been lost due to a combination of President Trump’s tariffs, a recent “Google tax” introduced by the Spanish government and other factors.

In the city of Murcia on Friday it is clear that there will be major disruption on the roads: during similar protests a couple of years ago traffic in the regional capital was gridlocked. In addition, though, the effects will be serious on the roads taken by the protesters as they make their way to Murcia in the morning.

The group which is setting out from Los Martínez del Puerto will follow the RM-F21, RM-F19, RM-F13 and RM-302 roads on their way to the La Fica fairground via Los Dolores, those starting at the Las Salinas industrial estate in Alhama de Murcia will force the closure to other traffic of the RM-E10, the RM-603, the road around Sangonera La Verde and thoroughfares in the southern outskirts of Murcia itself, and the column arriving from the north will make it necessary to close part of the N-301, the RM-554, the service road alongside the A-30 and the RM-B33 before reaching Avenida Juan Carlos I and the Plaza Circular.

All in all, anyone planning a day trip to the city of Murcia on Friday is advised to either leave it for another day or to make sure they are well equipped with a snack and plenty of patience in preparation for long traffic jams!

Image: Tractors take to the roads in protest in south-western Spain on Tuesday (COAG)

Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and information in the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/