Valencian producers were surprised on Sunday afternoon by a heavy hailstorm and strong winds, which have caused severe damage to 11,000 hectares of citrus and kaki plantations in the region of La Ribera del Xúquer, with losses estimated at 47 million Euro.
"Hail has fallen in the main production area of Rojo Brillante in Spain, significantly affecting L'Alcúdia, Alzira, Algemesí, Tous, and Alberic, among other municipalities," says Pascual Prats, president of the Spanish Kaki Association. "This storm will have had a disastrous impact for many producers, and we estimate that more than 80 million kilos of kakis have been lost," he said.
According to a first estimate made by the Valencian Association of Agricultural Producers (AVA-ASAJA), the total agricultural area affected by the storm exceeds 11,000 hectares, with economic losses amounting to 47 million Euro. However, La UNIO de LLauradors claims that the acreage affected reaches 15,000 hectares and the economic losses may exceed 80 million Euro.
According to the agrarian organizations, the storm was brief, but very strong. The damage has even affected the wood of the trees, which is why they have asked the Ministry of Agriculture to arrange fungicide treatments as soon as possible, in order to heal the wounds and avoid the appearance of fungi inside the trees.
Kakis have taken the biggest hit. The number of hectares affected reaches 3,500, many of which with 100% of the production lost. According to the estimations of AVA-ASAJA, the impact of this storm alone will lead to a 15% drop in the next Valencian kaki harvest. This, together with the 10% reduction that had already been caused by frosts in February and March, will result in at least a quarter of the Valencian kaki production being lost.
This circumstance will also have a very negative impact on the employment figures, since the harvesting of kakis is an important source of work for the region of La Ribera del Xúquer.
7,000 hectares of citrus fruit affected
Regarding citrus, the acreage devoted to mandarins and oranges that has been affected to a greater or lesser extent amounts to around 7,000 hectares. The extent of the damage ranges between 20% and, in the most extreme cases, 100% of the harvest. However, at this time, the fruit is still small, so we will have to wait for it to develop in order to know what the actual extent of the damage is. In any case, technicians have already verified that there are wounds in the fruit's skin, lots of leaves and fruits on the ground, damage on the wood and even trees uprooted due to the violence of the wind.
The storm recorded on the 1st of July has also caused damage to other horticultural productions in the area. Thus, 350 hectares of vegetables and about 100 hectares of fruit trees have been severely hit, especially melons, watermelons, tomatoes, avocados, peaches and nectarines.
Severe damage recorded at AVA-ASAJA trials farm
The storm has also taken a huge toll on the Finca Sinyent; a farm for agricultural trials run by AVA-ASAJA. The force of the wind and hail has not only destroyed a good part of the crops that the agrarian organization was experimenting with, but it has also caused very considerable damage to the facilities and infrastructure of the research centre. To be precise, the protective cover that crowned the building, funded in part by the Pere Compte Foundation, went flying in the air, mowing down all the trees it found in its path. The wind has also torn off meshes and caused damage to greenhouses.