Pascual Hortelano of FECOAM, the federation of horticultural cooperatives of Murcia, confirmed that the production of extra early stone fruit, which has already suffered losses due to frost, is behind schedule this year. This delay is due to the cold in February and the lack of sun in January. Flowering in the Cieza region, which is always a spectacle, has been delayed by about 15 days when compared to last year.
However, each year is different in terms of harvest date, and this is especially true for extra early varieties. In December, the crops' growth sped up due to the warm weather there was and they even started to bloom, Hortelano stated, but that came to an abrupt end in January. Now there is talk of a delay in the extra-early varieties and in the main harvest. Fecoam now fears that the spring storms may further change the crop's development.
Source: orm.es