Spain: Hail and wind damage over 10,000 ha of fruit

Last week a storm hit the fruit growing region of Lleida in Northern Spain, wind and hail battered about 25,000 ha of fruit, most affected were apples, pears, nectarines, almonds and peaches.

According to GreenMed Journal, the most affected crops were pears (2,604 ha) and apples (2,579 ha), followed by almonds (2,022 ha), peaches (1,299 ha) and nectarines (1,233 ha). The damage also affected the flat peaches (Paraguayos).

Local authorities have already said that the storm will cause a significant reduction of the marketable volumes of fruit and vegetables of the region. The experimental fields of the Spanish Institute for Research and Technology (IRTA), located in the municipality of Mollerussa, were also severely affected.

The stone fruit campaign in this province got off to a promising start at the end of May, although the season was delayed by around 10 days, compared to last year but on average with other years.

The storm will effect the production of flat peaches, which were expected to increase by 41% this season. This stone fruit from this region is exported to the European market, last year Russia received 23%, Germany 19%, followed by other countries such as The Netherlands, France, Italy and Poland.