As for the crops, the most affected are stone fruit trees (apricots, peaches, nectarines, Paraguayo peaches, etc.), kakis and the earliest citrus and almond varieties. In some cases, 100% of the harvest has been affected, although the average extent of the losses oscillates between 40 and 70% of the production volume for the next season.
The president of AVA-ASAJA, Cristóbal Aguado, explains that "the cold has arrived at a particularly delicate moment, because after a very warm and dry winter, the flowering was already in an advanced stage for many fruits, and some growers had even started with the thinning. For many, this means that the campaign is already over, and this will have a very negative impact on the employment figures and the economy of many of the people who rely on agriculture to make a living."
Producers in the Vall d'Albaida speak of a "black frost", characterised by a dry cold and low humidity index. This can be very harmful for agriculture, since it prevents the formation of an ice layer on the fruit. Consequently, the cold has a more direct impact on its molecular structure, destroying the internal tissue, which becomes black preceding the fruit's death. Pobla del Duc, Castelló de Rugat, Quatretonda, Llutxent and Salem are some of the towns that have reported fully devastated fruit fields.
In the Ribera Alta, these frosts follow the ones recorded in late February, which affected about 500 hectares, according to Agroseguro. The significant production losses that were already expected by stone fruit producers in Turís, Catadau, Alfarp, Llombai, Carlet or Benimodo, among other municipalities in the area, will thus be aggravated. Also, the cold may have damaged kaki buds in large production areas, such as L'Alcúdia, Carcaixent, Guadassuar or the aforementioned Carlet, although it is still too early to determine the extent of the same. In any case, the first estimates of AVA-ASAJA point to Valencia's kaki production likely falling by around 10% compared to the previous season.