22/01/2026
At Bio Agricultura Maro, we’re really worried about the decision by Sociedad Azucarera Larios, SALSA, belonging to the Mazacruz group which is currently in liquidation, to stop renewing the land lease contracts in Maro and Tetuán this year, breaking with a 400 plus year tradition of local farmers working the land here. This means the end of our project, which has been running for over four years now, and is going from strength to strength. The decision for non renewal has been taken without clear explanations and without any real dialogue with the people who’ve been farming this land for generations. There are currently around 450 local farmers, of whom around 30 are members of B.A.M., and who look after a historic agricultural landscape that goes back to medieval times, with irrigation channels, terraces, orchards and rural paths built and maintained by the farmers themselves which are part of Maro’s identity and way of life. Thanks to the microclimate between the sea and the mountains, this land supports an incredible biodiversity, from subtropical fruit trees to several vegetable harvests a year, making it perfect for agriculture. It’s one of the last truly rural, non-urbanised landscapes left on the Costa del Sol.
We form part of the platform A.M.A. – Action for Maro and its Agriculture, and we’re calling for transparency and real dialogue from SALSA, and for the Nerja Town Council to step in and defend local farmers and the public interest. We’re not against progress — we’re in favour of development that respects the environment, supports local people and protects what already works. Destroying productive farmland and a living rural culture isn’t progress, it’s a loss for everyone. Maro is agriculture, heritage, community and future, and defending it means protecting our land, our identity and real opportunities for the next generations.
— Bio Agricultura Maro (BAM)
