The farmers and producers of fruits and vegetables who come to Plaza de las Palmas in Arrecife every Saturday publicly denounce the "situation of abandonment, lack of planning, and systematic disregard" to which they are subjected by the Arrecife City Council, and especially by the Department of Festivities, for **not including them every time there is an event in the area**According to what they say, all the stalls in the primary sector that work in the square "remain united in this complaint, also counting on the explicit support of the Consumers' Association “Farmers and Ranchers of Lanzarote”, which represents more than 100 associates committed to agriculture on the island.
Faced with this situation, they say "enough is enough" to a municipal management that "ignores the importance of local agriculture".
Lack of planning and communication
The collective denounces that, recurrently, they are "displaced from their usual location due to any festivity without being offered an alternative or adequate prior communication to the people who set up nor between the involved areas within the City Council".
"They remember that we exist two days before the holidays. They have us running around, demonstrating absolute neglect for those of us who work the land and pay our municipal taxes," affirm those affected"After having endured almost a year of uncertainty during the works of Plaza de las Palmas", the producers demand a stability that does not arrive. "This lack of management is causing many stalls, exhausted by institutional neglect, to decide to stop setting up, putting the succession and survival of the sector in the capital at risk", they assure
Commitment to the land and respect for the client
The farmers' greatest concern is respect for their customers, who constantly suffer from "a lack of information about changes in location or schedules." "We want to apologize to our customers for something that is not our fault. We are still here because of our commitment to agriculture and to Lanzarote, but the institutions are boring us. The primary sector defends itself with facts, not with empty promises," they emphasize from the collective
For all these reasons, they demand that the Arrecife City Council "guarantee a stable location that does not depend on improvisation for each party and fluid communication and real planning with sufficient advance notice. Furthermore, they also ask for respect for the work of the field, treating the market as "an essential service and not a nuisance".