Alicante's Agricultural Sector Warns of 'Significant Losses' in the Almond Industry if the EU Does Not Expedite Reciprocal Tariffs

The tariff war initiated by Donald Trump is reopening old wounds in the province of Alicante. The Xixona nougat industry warned of the ruin that would ensue if tariffs were imposed on Californian almonds, which they import to produce this famous Christmas treat.

Now, the Young Farmers Association (Asaja) of Alicante is calling for the opposite: a strong response from the European Union (EU) to prevent the entry of this nut and encourage nougat manufacturers to buy local products. Asaja plans to urgently send a letter to the president of the Regulatory Council I.G.P. Jijona and Turrón Alicante, César Soler Coloma, to request that nougat companies support Alicante almonds.

Asaja's technical secretary, Ramón Espinosa, highlights the role of nougat as an ambassador for Alicante and calls for closer ties between almond farmers and nougat companies. "We want to resolve the confusion of using the name Alicante without employing products from here," explains Espinosa, who believes it is a "good time to strengthen commercial relationships that would bring economic and social benefits to this province."

In this regard, Asaja Alicante, through Asaja Brussels, will ask the European Union to bring forward the imposition of reciprocal tariffs, currently set for December 1. The agricultural association requests their implementation in the second phase, around May 16, to avoid the mass purchasing campaign of Californian almonds.

"We consider it unfair that the European Commission has postponed the imposition of reciprocal tariffs to December 1, as it will allow the mass importation of Californian almonds to nougat companies throughout the Christmas campaign," expresses Asaja Alicante, detailing that if this occurs, it would result in "severe economic losses for Alicante's almond farmers, who are once again the victims of a Europe that does not stand up for them as it should."

Therefore, they are requesting a "more forceful" response from the European Commission and consider it "a mistake that the EU's plan has left almonds in the last of the three phases of products to which reciprocal tariffs will be applied."

Asaja believes that now is the time to take a stand and show strong support for a crop that needs significant backing; "it is unacceptable not to prioritize our raw materials in such a controversial situation." In fact, they propose starting by including it, for example, in the premium ranges of nougats, so that consumers can associate the province's native variety as a symbol of quality.