An as yet undetermined number of horticultural crops and vineyards being harvested have been affected by the rainy storm this weekend in the center of the Iberian Peninsula, sources from the agricultural sector explained to Efe on Monday.
The technician of the agricultural organization Asaja Gregorio Juárez has highlighted that the ripe grapes that are not yet harvested are the ones most at risk of suffering damage and will require urgent treatment to prevent rot.
In his personal case, he has seen how his farm, located in the Toledo town of Lillo, has been covered by a quarter of the water and the nearest land is flooded, so it is still early to assess the damage. Last Friday, Juárez finished harvesting his Tempranillo production, so his doubt lies in the state of the grape that has been left on the vines or on the ground.
The specialist, who also grows olive groves, has assured that, on farms where hail has not fallen, the rainwater will be very good for the olive trees for the campaign that begins in October, as well as for the vineyards that do not. They are flooded with water and were in a bad situation due to the drought.
In affected areas of the La Mancha region, winegrowers may be forced to delay the harvest in the vineyards currently being harvested due to not being able to enter the farms, so that the final production may be reduced if the fruit has already matured and is not can still collect
Asaja sources in Toledo have assured that the horticultural crops of the farms that are flooded, especially those in the La Sagra area, have also suffered significant damage.
Specifically, the most important losses are estimated in pepper production, with at least 90 hectares affected; that of the ripe tomato that could not be picked either, and to a lesser extent that of onion.
The heavy rains caused by the isolated depression at high levels (DANA), which in recent hours have affected large areas of the country, are beginning to subside, although different other agricultural organizations have pointed out that we will have to wait to have complete figures for the damage caused to agriculture.
The UPA organization has underlined the positive effect for the olive grove, since the trees will absorb the water and the fruit will fatten, although flowering was previously affected by the drought and the harvest is not expected to be good. They have not observed negative effects on fruit and vegetable crops, nuts or cereals, the latter almost entirely collected, according to UPA.
"This extreme episode is one more example of the reality of climate change", which can only be faced with mitigation, adaptation, science, technology, aid, investment and the reinforcement of agricultural insurance, said organization.
