"The temperatures have dropped below two degrees Celsius. I have already lost 45% of my production," said Padilla after estimating the damage suffered by his farm. "If my plants don't recover by March, my losses will rise to 80%."
The situation in farms in Lorca and Campo de Cartagena will result in a reduction of the fresh artichoke stocks available for the Region's markets. "There will be 30% less available," estimated Padilla.
The production with burnt leaves will have to be used for canning, and that with damaged hearts will have to be discarded.
Vicente Carrión, president of Coag in Campo de Cartagena, explains that "all vegetables will suffer a rebound in prices. It is possible that some crops, such as broccoli, will see prices increase by up to 50%." This would entail their cost rising from approximately 15 cents/kilo to 90 cents/kilo. "The price of lettuce could also rise by 10%." This would mean that the box would go from costing 2.50 Euro to 4 Euro.
For the remainder of the week, the Aemet foresees new frosts and the crops won't be protected against them, because the only measure that can be adopted is to water the farms, "and we cannot do that because of the scarcity of water," said Carrión.
If temperatures remain below zero for more nights, the UPA warns that lemons, oranges, peppers, beans and celery could also be affected.
The general secretary of UPA, Marcos Alarcón, made an appeal to the distributors "to prevent speculators from taking advantage of the situation to obtain abusive prices in December."
Source: laverdad.es
