The frosts recorded on Tuesday night this week in different regions of Murcia have caused severe damage to agriculture, especially to stonefruit crops, whose campaign could be catastrophic, and also to artichokes, citrus fruits and leafy vegetables.
The flowering of stonefruit trees was already at an advanced stage due to prolonged spring temperatures during the autumn and winter. "The damage to the trees that were already in bloom is very serious, with losses for extra-early varieties ranging between 40 and 80%, depending on the area, and temperatures that have oscillated between -2 and -7 degrees Celsius," as reported to FreshPlaza by José Luis Muñoz, of COAG Murcia.
Given that the extra-early fruit is always the most appreciated on the market, the negative impact on the global results could be irreparable. Overall losses for Murcia's fruit could amount to about 20%.
"We all expected frosts before the spring, because it is common, and there was fear because of the advanced stage of the flowering, but we were not prepared for such a blow," he laments. "Many growers had not even taken out insurance for frost."
Since the night of the frost, activities in the field, where many were working on the thinning, have come to a complete halt. "The labourers receive their daily wages and many families rely on them. The damage this will cause to the sector will be estimated in a few days, when Agroseguro makes the necessary appraisals."
Early finish of artichoke campaign
As for other crops, artichokes have also been affected. "Producers were already suffering the impact of water shortages this season. Now, given the potential losses caused by the frost, many growers will choose not to continue watering. This will result in an earlier finish of the campaign," points out José Luis Muñoz.
Almond and citrus fruits have also been hit, although it is still early to make any assessments, and as for lettuce, some damaged layers will have to be removed from those intended for the market.