March Rains Cause Problems For Thousands of Farmers
SPAIN - Widespread heavy rainfall has plagued farmers with many producers unable to access fields and carry out crop work.
4 April 2013
1 minute read
Some areas have seen 150 litres of rainfall per square metre, according to the Union of Small Ranchers and Farmers (UPA) and worries are building around the ‘significant’ losses felt after the wettest March since records began in 1947.
Agricultural insurance systems have been hailed as vital following the downpours that left Andalusia, Castilla-Lyon, Extremadura and Aragon particularly hard hit. Beets, corn, cereal and potato growers are the worst affected.
The rainfall has boosted national capacity by 3.8 per cent to 81.7 per cent leaving farmers feeling ‘scared’.
Castilla-Lyon
- Most affected crop – Sugar beet – Losses predicted at 50 per cent
- Onion and Potato growers warn that April sowing plans will be halted
- Root rot and ‘large yellow spots’ have been observed in cereals
- Cereal growers are being told to apply fungicides and expect low yields
Andalusia
- Excess moisture- fungal crop diseases (leaf spot)
- Cordoba, Seville and Jaen are the worst hit with roads, irrigation ponds and outlets all damaged
- Olive crop badly affected
Aragon
- 8,500 hectares of crops damaged – mainly barley, wheat, alfalfa and vegetables
- Farmers suffering losses of €12.5 million
TheCattleSite News Desk
