The problem, as explained by sources from this artichoke promotion consortium, has been a consequence of the long duration of the frosts, rather than merely because of the lower temperatures, which have dropped to between two and ten degrees below zero.
Campo de Cartagena has suffered a "frost with thermal inversion" in the lower areas, which has caused the formation of frost made from small ice crystals on the surface of the plant.
Artichokes intended for fresh consumption go to canning
The result has been the loss of 70% of the artichokes of the first cut intended for fresh consumption, which have been redirected to the processing industry for both freezing and canning.
Although the organization is confident that "in 15 days the yield could already be at 50%," they still fear the possibility of the crop being damaged again if frosts are recorded often.
Early plantations in Tudela
Regarding the production in Tudela (Navarre), they have pointed out that frosts have affected the early plantings, since seven out of every ten artichokes (the least mature) produced by each plant has been lost these days due to the drop in temperatures.
In spite of this, Alcachofa de España has stated that the product will again be harvested in spring and that the plantings made in August have not been affected despite the frosts of 16 November and 5 December, when the temperature dropped to -2 °C.
As for Campo de Lorca (Murcia), it was reported that despite the cold, the damage is not significant, with only 5% of the production damaged, namely the late artichokes.
Similar campaign to that of 2016
"It's still early to talk about the impact on the campaign, which lasts for eight strong months. So far, the campaign has been more or less like last year's," he said.
In the Region of Valencia, the organization AVA-Asaja also took stock on 4 December of the recent frosts, which caused damage to kakis, especially in the region of La Ribera, artichokes and lettuce.
The agrarian organization also stated that the temperatures have started raising some concerns among citrus fruit producers, who fear that their crops may have been affected by the cold to a greater or lesser extent.
Source: Efeagro
