Almeria’s branch of the Association of Young Farmers (Asaja) has revealed that 20 per cent of the fruit being produced in the Spanish province is likely to have suffered damage as a consequence of recent torrential rains in the south of the country.
Asaja Almeria president Francisco Vargas told Europa Press that products commonly produced in the Andalusian region, such as tomatoes and peppers, suffered from being “more sensitive”, explaining that growers needed to have control over the salinity of water entering production areas to maintain a balance of mineral salts.
As a result of the severe floods that have affected southern Spain over recent weeks, Mr Vergas estimates that more than 20 per cent of the fruit currently under production will be lost as a result of having been damaged by the rains.
Many crops, he explained, had absorbed large amounts of water, meaning that they were “no longer suitable for consumption”.
Mr Vargas said the extent of the damage to the fruit and vegetables would depend on the weather over the coming days, after which the sector would be able to calculate the exact scale of the losses in the province.
