The acreage devoted to greenhouse crops in Eastern Andalusia has reached 35,489 hectares, 1.7% more than in the year 2017, according to cartographical data of 2018. Almeria, Granada and Malaga together have seen the acreage grow by 579 hectares, and this figure has been increasing yearly since the first study carried out in 2001. Last year alone, the protected acreage grew by more than 10 percentage points.
As stressed by the Councillor of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development of Andalusia, Rodrigo Sánchez Haro, Almeria accounts for 87.4% of all greenhouse facilities in these three provinces, with a total of 31,614 hectares.
Meanwhile, Granada has a greenhouse acreage totaling 3,100 hectares; a figure that maintains or slightly improves last year's productive potential by adding 13 more hectares of protected land. Most of the greenhouses are located in the county of La Costa, with 2,847 hectares.
Variation has also been small in the case of Malaga, with greenhouse acreage estimated at 775 hectares (down 14 hectares), especially in the Vélez-Málaga county, which accounts for 721 hectares. More than half of these are located in the municipality of Vélez-Málaga (369 hectares), followed by Torrox (178 hectares) and Algarrobo (95 hectares).
Rodrigo Sánchez Haro emphasized that this analysis, based on satellite images, goes beyond mere statistical work. It has emerged as a fundamental source of information for both public administrations and companies.
Source: agrodiariohuelva.es