• Prices.That's the 'payroll' of a super

The protests of farmers in recent weeks have focused on distribution, a sector that includes chains such as Carrefour, Mercadona, Dia or Lidl, among others. Farmers and ranchers say they do not receive a fair price for the product they grow and criticize that it is light years away from the price that is later listed on the label in the supermarket. The Government has also pointed to distribution as part of the problem.

Where does the product of the field go? The ultimate destination is not just the stores. The agricultural product is also exported, an important part goes to the hospitality channel and another part is sold to the processing industry. For example, a candy company that buys lemons to make jam, creams, compotes ... How are they distributed? According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, 52% of Spanish agricultural production goes directly to export. The rest of the agricultural production goes almost equally to the processing industry and internal trade. The restaurants and bars, which consume around 10% of those tomatoes, potatoes, oil, meat, etc. also have weight ... In the case of fruits, vegetables and vegetables, 9% of the total production is sold through of traditional commerce and wholesale mercas (Mercamadrid, Mercabarna ...) Supermarkets what weight do they have? From the previous distribution, the remaining 11% is sold through supermarkets and hypermarkets. But those fruits and vegetables are not only sold in super, but in markets, traditional markets and in the so-called specialist channel, which are the stores of fresh life: butcher, fish shop, fruit shop ... These stores buy in wholesale markets , which, in turn, have bought the product from other wholesalers. Where do the super agricultural products buy? Many chains mainly buy from cooperatives and large producers that represent the best organized part of the agricultural sector. They are cooperatives and producers "who can obtain better conditions for their members and reduce intermediate links," said sources in the sector. They also guarantee a volume of commercialization that optimizes costs and resolves overproduction problems. For example, a supermarket needs to buy a lot of product volume, not enough with 10 kilos of tomatoes, but "it needs a guarantee of supply" that is facilitated by large cooperatives and not so much by small producers. "Our supply chains, with In general, they are shorter (less intermediaries) and efficient. As a result, they do not make the products artificially expensive, because the obligation of any distribution company, in a competitive market, is to improve the purchasing power of citizens, "they say from Anged, the association of large distribution companies. What margin do the supermarkets take for the product they sell? The net margin of the companies in the sector ranges between 2% and 2.5%.

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