Agricultural fuel costs are expected to add around €1.7 million to the annual expenses of farmers across the Balearic Islands, according to ASAJA-Balears, which has announced that it will join nationwide agricultural protests over rising fuel prices.

The organisation says the increase is adding further pressure to farming businesses already facing higher production costs, including fertilisers, while producers in the islands also have to deal with additional costs linked to insularity.

ASAJA estimates €1.73 million in additional costs

ASAJA-Balears calculates that the rise in agricultural diesel prices represents approximately €1.73 million in additional annual costs for the sector compared with last year.

Its calculation is based on an estimated 170,000 hectares of agricultural land being prepared each year, with average consumption of around 20 litres of diesel per hectare.

That would result in approximately 3.4 million litres of agricultural diesel being used annually.

Using a reference price of €1.46 per litre for 2026, compared with €0.95 per litre a year earlier, ASAJA-Balears calculates an increase of €0.51 per litre, equivalent to around 54%.

The figure is an industry estimate

The €1.73 million figure is ASAJA-Balears' estimate rather than an official government calculation of the sector's exact fuel bill.

The organisation applies its estimated annual fuel consumption to the difference between the two reference prices.

Other fuel-price measurements can vary depending on the period, location and methodology used, so the figure should be understood as an estimate of the additional cost under ASAJA-Balears' assumptions.

Farmers face several rising costs

ASAJA-Balears says the increase comes at a difficult time for agricultural businesses, with many farms already operating on very narrow margins or, in some cases, at a loss.

The organisation also points to higher fertiliser costs as another source of pressure.

For farmers in the Balearics, the situation is compounded by the structural costs associated with operating on islands, where transporting agricultural inputs and products can involve additional expenses.

Agricultural diesel support due to expire

The fuel-cost dispute comes shortly before the scheduled end of the Spanish Government's extraordinary temporary support for agricultural diesel.

The current measure runs until September 30, 2026.

The support was extended during the summer as part of a package of measures responding to higher energy and production costs. The government allocated €65 million for the extension of the agricultural and fishing diesel subsidy through the end of September.

Agricultural organisations are now calling for further action as the expiry date approaches.

Nationwide protests announced

ASAJA, COAG and UPA announced on September 18 that they would organise mobilisations across Spain in response to the increase in fuel and production costs.

The three organisations said the agricultural sector needs urgent measures and specifically highlighted the rise in the price of agricultural diesel.

At the time of the announcement, the dates and locations of the protests had not yet been released.

ASAJA-Balears has confirmed that it will participate in the mobilisation campaign.

National fuel prices have also risen sharply

The Balearic figures form part of a broader increase in agricultural fuel costs across Spain.

ASAJA's national organisation said agricultural diesel was priced at €1.649 per litre on September 7, describing it as 48% more expensive than a year earlier.

That national reference differs from the €1.46 figure used by ASAJA-Balears for its own calculation, highlighting why specific fuel-price figures should be attributed to the source and period on which they are based.

What this means for Balearic agriculture

Fuel is a direct operating cost for many agricultural activities, particularly those requiring tractors and other machinery for preparing, cultivating and harvesting land.

An increase in diesel prices can therefore add to the cost of operating machinery even when the amount of land cultivated remains unchanged.

Farmers cannot necessarily pass the entire increase on to consumers, making fuel prices an important issue in discussions around agricultural profitability.

An issue affecting Ibiza and the wider islands

The issue extends beyond Mallorca to the wider Balearic agricultural sector, including Ibiza and the other islands.

Ibiza's agricultural producers operate within the same broader cost environment while also facing the logistical challenges associated with island-based production.

The final impact on individual farms will vary depending on the type of activity, machinery requirements, fuel consumption and access to support measures.

What happens next

The immediate issue for the agricultural sector is the September 30 expiry of the extraordinary diesel support.

The national farming organisations are calling for further measures and preparing protests, but the locations and dates of those demonstrations had not yet been announced when the announcement was made on September 18.

For Balearic farmers, the fuel increase adds another cost to an already challenging production environment, with ASAJA-Balears estimating that the additional diesel bill alone could amount to roughly €1.7 million a year across the islands.