El campo presiona al Gobierno con protestas en toda España por el alza de los combustibles

Agricultural organizations in Spain are pressuring the government with nationwide protests over the surge in fuel prices, as the cost of agricultural diesel is now 50% higher than a year ago. The conflict in the Middle East, the prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the sharp rise in energy prices have put the Spanish agricultural sector under immense pressure.

The main organizations involved are Asaja, COAG, and UPA, who have called for urgent demonstrations across Spain due to the skyrocketing costs of fuel and fertilizers, which have driven up production costs and eroded the profitability of farmers and livestock producers. The government's 20-cent per liter subsidy for agricultural diesel, which was already insufficient, expires on September 30th without any response or alternative solution from the administrations.

With just over ten days until this deadline, the agricultural sector is ready to escalate the pressure on the government through street protests to secure answers. The sector fears that it will enter the planting, grape-harvesting, and maize-growing seasons without any support, making massive protests necessary to force immediate measures from the public administrations.

The government has kept its doors open to possibly adopting or reactivating aid measures, but without specifics. First Vice President and Minister of Economy Carlos Cuerpo stated that the executive will pay special attention to the most affected professional sectors, such as transportation and agro-food, due to the impact on the rest of the supply chain.

The minister discussed these measures after meeting with the patronage and unions in the context of a round of contacts with representatives from different economic sectors to address the continuity of support for families and businesses in the face of the inflation impact beyond September 30th. The agriculture minister, Luis Planas, hurriedly convened the agricultural sector for a meeting on Tuesday after the demonstration announcement, promising that measures to compensate for the diesel price hike are being studied.

Cuerpo emphasized that the future support measures will be more selective, as the fiscal margin for the government to expand aid without compromising its financial goals is becoming increasingly limited. This comes amid a complex moment for family purchasing power: inflation surged to 4.3% in August, its highest level since February 2023, while fuel prices rose by 30.3% in August, nearly double the increase in July.

Meanwhile, cereal prices reached their highest since July 2025 due to the combined effect of the Iran conflict, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and poor European harvests caused by climate phenomena.