Southern Spain is continuing to count the cost of torrential rains that have badly damaged crops across the region of Andalusia, with the province of Granada reporting that flooding has destroyed 20 per cent of overall vegetable volumes.
According to Spanish agricultural organisation Coag, an estimated 2,500 tonnes of tomatoes and cucumbers have reportedly been lost as a result of fruit cracking and infection by Botrytis fungus as a result of the wet conditions.
Miguel Monferrer Montoro, provincial secretary of Coag Granada, told Europa Press that although the rains had proved beneficial for cereal crops, they had “come as a blow for fruit and vegetable producers”.
In the case of cucumbers, Mr Monferrer said the rains had destroyed previsions for the remainder of the campaign after growers dumped more than 20,000 tonnes of cucumbers on Andalusian beaches last November in protest over market saturation.
Coag has called on the Spanish authorities to declare the affected areas a disaster zone and to provide support to repair damaged agricultural infrastructure and help compensate growers for their losses.
