Frosts bring Spanish growers misery

Spanish growers have fallen victim to yet more inclement weather and this time it is the turn of stonefruit producers to suffer.

Unseasonably late and harsh frosts struck at the end of last week in Valencia and northern parts of Murcia, affecting peach, nectarine and plum trees principally and apricots and cherries to a lesser degree.

According to producers’ association La Unió in Valencia, some 4,000 hectares of peach, nectarine, apricot and plum trees in the region were hit by frosts and as much as 35 per cent of fruit could be lost. The organisation is calculating that the cost to the sector could be as much as €10.5 million (£9.52m) for peach and nectarine growers and €2.5m-2.8m each for apricot and plum producers. Many of the affected trees were in flower and it is the low-lying regions that were hardest hit. Production of early citrus varieties may suffer next season as trees were in a delicate stage of development.

Meanwhile, further south in Murcia, growers report that early and extra-early varieties of peaches across some 4,000ha in the Vega Alta area suffered from frost damage in the early hours of 11 March. Again, peach, nectarine, apricot and plum trees were all affected. Murcia growers’ federation Fecoam declined to put a figure on the losses, but estimated they could run to “millions of euros”, without counting the loss of employment to temporary workers brought in to thin trees whose labour will not now be required.