The avocado season has not yet begun but already farmers are suffering thefts from their fields.
The number of thefts from farms has been constantly rising during the past few years and the financial crisis has only served to make the situation worse. It is now not only crops, such as avocados, which have become the target for thieves but also just about everything including irrigation pipes, wiring, sheep, goats, tools and machinery.
One farmer in the Valle Niza area of Vélez-Málaga has suffered two robberies within 24 hours. In the first instance, thieves stole 2,000 kilos of avocados which still have two months to go before they are ready for sale. The next night, despite the farmer patrolling his field, the thieves returned to take another 200 kilos of avocados.
Despite informing the police about the initial theft and advising them that it was virtually certain that the thieves would return to finish the job the following night, no police patrols passed by the area during the night.
The true figure relating to the number of thefts from rural areas is not easy to ascertain as many small robberies go unreported. Once again the Málaga provincial authorities are discussing an increased presence of police officers and patrols from the various forces, although nothing concrete has been decided.