The Agrarian Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA) of Murcia has requested the regional Government and the Ministry of Agriculture to activate extraordinary measures in favor of the farmers affected by the hailstorm and torrential rains recorded this Monday in the regions of Northwest, Río Mula, and Altiplano.
According to the agrarian organization, the storms have caused damage to thousands of hectares, mainly in almond, olive, and late-variety fruit plantations in municipalities such as Mula, Bullas, Calasparra, Moratalla, Jumilla, and Yecla. The exact extent and magnitude of the losses are still pending a detailed technical assessment.
ASAJA points out that the hail has caused fruit drop and damage to trees and branches, with a particular impact on the farms that were close to the start or in the middle of the harvesting campaign, as reported by the organization.
In light of this scenario, the organization has demanded the granting of direct aid to compensate for the loss of income of the producers, along with the exemption from the rural property tax on the damaged plots and a reduction of the tax modules for the upcoming income tax declaration.
Furthermore, ASAJA calls for the temporary suspension of the contributions to the Agrarian Social Security and the implementation of subsidized financing lines to facilitate the recovery of the damaged farms.
The agrarian organization has asked the administrations to adopt these measures once the damage assessment is concluded and the affected area is determined.