This year's "serious weather alterations" leave the province of Alicante with a national record for claims recorded in agricultural insurance: around 1,250 million euros, 64% more than in 2022 (806 million). The agrarian balance that ASAJA Alicante offered yesterday indicates that "if 2022 was the year of wars, that of Ukraine, that of water and that of fire - in reference to the fire in Vall d'Ebo -, 2023 has been the year of the drought, incessant heat waves and strong hailstorms that have surprised us at harvest times,” declared the president of the entity, José Vicente Andreu.
ASAJA Alicante points out that the policies contracted amount to 19 million euros in the province, 5% more than the previous year. In addition, the price of insurance has increased. "The damage caused by hail, winds and multiple climatic adversities is increasing, while coverage is being reduced and the cost of premiums is increasing, forcing the most vulnerable farmers not to insure," said Andreu. "Agroseguro is turning its back on farmers and that must change urgently, as they must adapt to guarantee the sustainability of the system and avoid abandonment," she adds.
The drought, according to the 2023 Balance, has affected all crops in general, but during the 2023 campaign the most affected by inclement weather are cereals and cherries, and in addition, lemon is suffering from abusive practices by the industry.
As for cereals, due to an "atypically hot and dry" climate, the Alicante countryside lost 90% of the wheat, barley and oats harvest in areas such as L'Alcoià and El Comtat, and in these last months of the year It has not been possible to begin sowing because the land does not have any type of moisture. They even assure that the percentage of shrinkage increases to almost 100% in the area of Castalla and Onil and that in this way, the price is dependent on the exporting countries, since local cereal is almost non-existent: "It makes us totally dependent" , they explain.
For his part, Juan Luis Gimeno, second vice president of ASAJA Alicante and representative of the livestock sector, highlighted the "great increase" in production costs (in feed and forage) which, together with the lack of rain in pasture areas, This means that fewer and fewer producers are willing to keep livestock, since profitability is increasingly lower. They also talk about the "dire situation" of the beekeeping sector, which is experiencing a high mortality rate of bees of up to 40% due to diseases such as varroa and a dry climate with high temperatures that makes them more vulnerable.
Likewise, ASAJA Alicante explained that in the wine grape sector, the production of Alicante Designation of Origin wine has experienced the lowest harvest in its history. The president of the DOP Wines of Alicante Regulatory Council, Jose Juan Reus, assured that the production of wines with DOP has been 18,500,000 kilos, 29% below the previous year. “We have a pending issue and that is prices.” In his presentation he explained that it is impossible to compete with the prices imposed by the main importers. “The Monastrell grape from the Marina Alta is of great quality and cannot compete with such ridiculous prices.”
