The rain doesn´t come with the same benefits for everyone. For the vegetable production sector in Almeria this rain, persistent in the last week, is generating the first problems in wintering plantations. According to Francisco Vargas, president of the Association of Young Farmers (Asaja) of Almeria, "the continuous rainfall is causing a decline in production, especially in cucumber and zucchini crops."
In these crops "we can now see, mainly in cucumbers, the appearance of mildew."
In plantations of these products, Vargas argued, "flowering has fallen quite a lot and in the short-term we are already starting to feel its effects." However these consequences may be more noticeable in December, because "in that month the decline in production will really be noticed." In products such as red pepper, the president of the organization said, "the reduction in production would be noticed at the start of next January."
Other plantations are also affected because as explained President Asaja-Almería, "the first outbreaks of botryotinia begin to appear in beans and tomato."
Preventative treatments
Producers are trying to apply pesticides to prevent the spread of diseases and fungi that normally appear in plantations when the rain persists. In this case, Francisco Vargas pointed out, "farmers are trying to apply more preventive treatments with fungicides, with the aim that the impact of precipitation on crops under plastic is as low as possible." In this regard, the president of Asaja-Almería said, "the cost of spending on plant protection products has increased in recent weeks, certainly an inconvenience for farmers in the first part of this campaign."
One aspect that has partially mitigated the effects of the rain has been the fact that the wind has stopped in the last seven days.
The level of problems in Almeria´s fields will be fully know when the rain stops. Indeed, this view was shared by Antonio Moreno, secretary of the Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Agricultores y Ganaderos (Coag).
Source: Ideal