Spanish farmer Antonio Basa is has to guard his olive grove at night. Heat-related crop failures have driven the price of olive oil sky high and now, professional gangs are stealing the lucrative fruit.
Spain is the world’s largest producer of olive oil. Antonio Basa rubs his tired eyes after a night patrolling his fields. "By day, we’re working hard in the groves and by night, we’re back out there making sure our olives aren’t stolen - it’s so frustrating,” he says. The thieves are getting bolder and harvesting many tons of olives every night. The olive shortage is making crops more valuable as extreme drought reduced the 2022 and 2023 harvests by around half.
José Medina from Zafra was the victim of four break-ins last year. Olive oil valued at 80,000 Euros was stolen from his warehouse. Insurers won’t pay out, forcing José to the brink of bankruptcy. He’s also angered by the slow progress of the investigation into the crime. José has long given up hope that the perpetrators will ever be brought to justice.
Fran Camorra from the Guardia Civil understands the frustration. He’s a member of the force’s nature protection unit "Seprona” and estimates that justice is served in no more than 10 percent of cases like these, although his department now patrols olive groves itself with motorbikes, drones, and thermal imaging cameras. But it’s not possible to monitor all the groves in Spain. Antonio Basa is seriously considering giving up. After all, on the back of two extreme droughts, thieves are now threatening his livelihood.
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