Spain rains

Recent colder weather, rains and snow in Spain’s Murcia region have been welcomed as a “very positive” development by growers, who say the lower temperatures should benefit winter crops, including citrus, vegetables and almonds.

For regional association Asaja Murcia, the colder climate of recent days has constituted a “step forward” for producers in the southern Spanish region, explaining that it has had major positive effects for fruit and vegetable crops.

The group said that the amount of rain had been “very good” for seasonal crops, adding that the fall in temperatures had been needed, especially for vegetables, to maintain production in an optimum state for harvesting.

In a statement, Asaja Murcia general secretary Alfonso Gálvez Caravaca said: “The fall in temperatures and the rainfall have provided a means of regulating the production and harvesting of winter products.”