The rains of recent days were, in general, beneficial for agriculture and livestock in Valencia because they helped recharge reservoirs and aquifers after months of drought, revitalize pastures, improve the size of seasonal crops, and save production costs. However, according to an initial assessment by the Valencian Farmers' Association (AVA-ASAJA), the rains were accompanied by heavy hail that caused damage of varying severity to some 1,500 hectares of crops, especially in kaki and citrus crops, right at the start of the harvest campaign.
The municipalities most affected by the hail storm were Picassent and Benifaió. Hail fell discontinuously along an eight-kilometer stretch, mainly in the area located between the Benifaió-Alfarp road and the Picassent-Montserrat road. There were also isolated damages recorded in nearby terms such as Picanya and Torrent. In contrast, hail in parts of Castellón such as La Vilavella hardly caused any significant damage in the countryside. The torrential rains also caused landslides and flooded orchards in deep areas or near ravines.
The hail especially affected kaki crops because this fruit has very sensitive skin and the crops were in an advanced phenological state. Many of the damaged fruits were already sufficiently ripe and were going to be harvested in a few days. AVA-ASAJA estimates that the losses range between 30 and 100% of the kakis, as there are fields where the entire crop is full of bruises which makes it unusable for marketing.
"Losing our entire crop to a hail storm after working all year, looking after the trees, and dealing with pests is quite unfortunate. Especially in a season in which prices can be interesting due to the overall drop in production," the affected farmers stated.
In the case of citrus, although many leaves were damaged, we'll have to wait several days to clearly see the damage that the hail may have caused to the fruit.
AVA-ASAJA, which insists on the need to ensure the crops, has already started negotiations with Agroseguro to launch the appraisals as soon as possible, especially in kaki farms in harvest, and thus advance the payment of the appropriate compensation. The agricultural organization is also asking the government to implement fiscal measures to alleviate the losses suffered due to these weather adversities.
For more information:
AVA-ASAJA
Email: [email protected]
www.avaasaja.org