Technicians of the insurance department of Asaja Alicante will accompany the experts of Agroseguro to assess the damage caused by hail last Friday in some areas of the Medio Vinalopó, mainly to bagged table grape crops.
After an initial estimate, Asaja believes that the hailstorm has damaged 400 hectares of plantations in Horna Alta, Horna Baja and Betíes, located in the municipalities of Novelda, La Romana and Aspe. The most affected are table grapes of the Aledo, Red Globe and Ideal varieties.
According to the Department of Agrarian Insurances, the damage in these areas is going to entail the loss of about 20% of the production, although there are farms with up to 50% losses. "Fortunately, the hail has been recorded in very specific areas and has not been of a strong intensity, so it has only affected the crops that were most exposed to the storm. This will translate into a cost increase for the producers of the plots affected, as more money will have to be allocated to the cleaning of the clusters to ensure that those that have not been damaged arrive in good condition to the markets," explains Antonio Gascón, head of the agrarian union's insurance department.
Besides this, ASAJA Novelda president Pedro Rubira has warned that if temperatures do not stabilise and dry weather persists over the next few weeks, "the clusters that have been affected by hail are at risk of suffering from fungal diseases and bacteria."
On some farms, hail has damaged up to 70% of the vineyard leaf. But the situation is even worse in the Horna Alta. Strong gusts of wind managed to break down the metal structure that holds the vines, making it fall to the ground along with Aledo grapes still in the process of maturation. In this case, the entire harvest will be lost because the fruit is green and cannot be picked yet, and the ones that have remained in contact with the soil will suffer a significant reduction of their properties.
Source: diarioinformacion.com
