Madrid — The US aggression against Iran has spread beyond the Persian Gulf and the oil market to Spain's farmland, where farmers say soaring diesel and fertilizer prices are threatening their crops.

 

Spanish farmers now pay more for every hour of tractor work, with the price of agricultural diesel up by roughly 50 percent since the start of the US war against Iran.

 

Agricultural associations have warned that if the trend continues, some land may not be planted at all. An estimate by the Asaja association suggests up to 40 percent of crops, mainly grains, could go unsown.

 

The pressure is not confined to tractor fuel tanks. Prices for nitrogen fertilizers such as urea and ammonia have also risen by as much as 50 percent in some markets.

 

The strain on farms is one link in the chain of consequences of the US aggression. The conflict began on February 28 with US and Israeli onslaught on Iran and Tehran's missile response, unsettling energy markets. Oil prices, which stood below $70 before the war, at one point approached $120. Rising fuel and fertilizer costs are now feeding into the cost of food production.

 

Spanish farmers are calling for immediate direct government aid and have threatened to keep up street protests if support is not forthcoming. Their demands include offsetting part of the diesel price increase, greater support for fertilizer purchases, and help with energy and transportation costs. The Spanish government had previously approved support packages for agricultural fuel and fertilizer, but farming associations argue that more assistance is needed as costs continue to climb.