The frosts of recent months in some areas of the northern hemisphere have wreaked havoc in the almond sector, especially in California and Spain. For this reason, Jorge Andrés Ovalle, from Chile, has wanted to show solidarity with the almond producers and marketers and send a greeting to the entire sector through a letter.
In this letter, Jorge wished to stress that a misfortune happening in one hemisphere is something that affects the entire world. He also praised "the great work carried out by the Almond Board or the University of Davis, as well as by geneticists, processors, farmer cooperatives, etc., who have worked hard and put all their effort and money into developing their industry in the best possible way, studying, promoting and questioning what they do, how they do it and how they can help improve the almond sector."
Regarding the current climatological conditions, Mr Ovalle believes that these are changes and catastrophes of a magnitude rarely seen in history, affecting more than 600,000 hectares of orchards and agricultural crops. He assured that "insurance companies will continue to operate and there will still be credit rescheduling, but each link of this great almond chain will remain wary. It is a feeling that can be shared by anyone who has ever experienced the anguish of losing years of work and dedication in a week's time."
He also wanted to stress that it is true that the price of almonds will rise, but that this is "an effort that all consumers must make so that growers, who want the fruit of their work to be enjoyed by millions of people, can recover from the losses suffered and be able to continue offering the best."
Through this letter, Jorge Ovalle expresses his solidarity with almond producers in these ill-fated days and concludes with a paragraph in which he encourages reflection. "More than ever before, our trees need your dedication, so let's take care of the bees that have not been able to collect millions of kilos of honey; let's take care of our fields, of our scarce and valuable water resources, and hope that in the following spring, we will be able to witness another great flowering, without the drama of frosts depriving us of that beautiful spectacle."