SIX DOWNIn October Ronda had a reduction in its jobless total of six. There are now 4,328 unemployed in the area, the majority of them women. In a recent opinion poll 53.2 per cent of the people questioned said the high dole level was their major concern. Worries over the general economy, drug abuse and the state of the roads were of secondary concern.
DRUGS SNIFFERS
Ronda’s councillor for security, Rafael Lara, announced the local police are to have a canine unit specifically to sniff out drugs. Last week a dog team from Estepona visited schools in Ronda and searched the areas around the buildings resulting in the discovery of heroin, cocaine and hashish. The town hall is setting aside 1,200 euros to acquiring and training its own dogs.
MUSHROOM TIME
This is the time of year when the rural municipalities with a tradition of gathering wild fungi hold special events to celebrate the edible mushrooms. Benarrabá will be holding its first over November 12 – 14 with visits to find the fungi, exhibitions, workshops and tastings. Cortes was the first to pioneer these events in the Guadiaro Valley and Júzcar in the Genal Valley.
UNIQUE CEMETERY
The recent festival to honour the dead highlighted the cemetery in Benadalid which is one of the more oddly located in Spain. Its Roman castle was acquired by the town hall in 1821 and since then has been the final resting place of the residents. However every summer the castle comes alive when it is the venue for the Moors and Christians celebrations.
SERRANÍA WORKSHOP
The Poblado Nazari in Estación de Cortes de la Frontera is hosting an employment workshop to train 36 people between 16 and 25 years from nine municipalities in the area. The scheme will last for two years, will employ nine people in admin and teaching and is backed with over a million euros. Amongst skills taught are carpentry and installation of solar panels.
GOING NUTS
The Genal Valley has finished this year’s chestnut harvest. Over four million kilos of the fruit have been gathered and the quality is the best since 2007. One reason for this is the high rainfall last winter. The downside has been the low price paid, around a euro per kilo. The Serranía have been celebrating the harvest with the traditional ‘tostón’ chestnut roasting.
SOUR MILK
Around 200 goat farmers from the Ronda and Antequera area gathered outside the Arias cheese production plant on Ronda’s industrial estate last Thursday and poured churns of milk into the gutter. They were demanding a just price for their milk. The dispute may now be at an end after the two major users Forlactaria and García Vaquero agreed to negotiate with the producers.
