The Unió Llauradora estimates the direct impact on agricultural production caused by the recent episodes of adverse weather recorded between August 10 and 15 to be more than 10 million euros. The damages are concentrated mainly in the regions of Utiel-Requena and the Vall d'Albaida, in the province of Valencia, and Alto Palancia, in Castellón, where the affected agricultural area already exceeds 10,000 hectares.
According to the initial estimates of the agricultural organization, the losses amount to 10,107,837.72 euros over an area of 10,058.90 hectares. However, La Unió emphasizes that this is an initial assessment that will need to be reviewed and updated as more precise information becomes available regarding the actual extent of the damages to the farms.
Utiel-Requena, the most affected area
The region of Utiel-Requena is, for now, the most affected, with about 7,389 damaged hectares and direct losses exceeding 5 million euros (5,059,483 euros). The destruction is mainly concentrated in the municipalities of San Antonio de Requena and Utiel, where hail has been the main culprit, and in Sinarcas, where the storm has also caused significant damage to the crops.
In Utiel-Requena, the vineyard is the crop with the greatest economic impact, with losses estimated at 3,944,448 euros. In San Antonio de Requena, it is estimated that there are about 2,000 hectares of vineyard affected, while in Utiel the damaged area would be around 2,109 hectares of vineyard. Additionally, in both municipalities, damages have been detected in other woody crops.
La Unió quantifies the affected almond area at about 2,312 hectares, with losses close to 555,000 euros, and the olive grove area at about 711 hectares, with damages nearing 470,000 euros. In Sinarcas, the storms have also harmed the cereal pending harvest, whose delay is due to the restrictions imposed this year to prevent fires.
In this case, the damaged surface is estimated at about 257 hectares, with economic losses close to 91,000 euros. To these damages are added those caused by the hailstorm last week in the Vall d'Albaida, which particularly hit the municipalities of Otos, la Pobla del Duc, Quatretonda, Benigànim, Llutxent, Benicolet, and Pinet, all of them in the eastern part of the region. There, the damages extend over a calculated area of 2,176.70 hectares and direct losses exceeding 3.5 million euros (3,597,843.00 euros).
Damage by crops and regions
By type of crop, the persimmon is the most affected in the Vall d'Albaida, with 397 hectares damaged and losses amounting to 2.11 million euros. Following are the citrus fruits, with 728.70 hectares affected and 958,848 euros in losses, while the olive grove presents 1,051 hectares damaged and an estimated economic impact of 520,245 euros.
The fall of hail at this time is particularly serious because crops such as grapes, citrus fruits, or persimmons already have their harvest practically formed and are in advanced stages of their production cycle. The impacts of the stones can cause the immediate fall of the fruit or generate wounds and external damages that devalue it to the point of making it unsellable, even if it remains on the tree or plant.
To these losses are added those caused by the incident recorded in Alto Palancia, specifically in the municipalities of Bejís and Torás. In this area, La Unió estimates a damaged area of 493 hectares of almond and olive trees and direct losses of 1,450,512 euros. In the region, the olive grove concentrates most of the economic impact, with 237 hectares damaged and nearly 990,000 euros in losses, while in almonds, 256 hectares are estimated to be affected and about 460,800 euros in damages.
Claiming aid and strengthening insurance
The agricultural organization emphasizes that these figures only reflect the direct losses on agricultural production and do not include other possible damages to trees, plants, the infrastructure of the farms, or the consequences that these episodes may have on the productive capacity of the plantations in upcoming campaigns.
In this scenario, La Unió demands that the Ministry of Agriculture carry out an "urgent" and "detailed" assessment of the damages in all affected areas and implement the necessary aid for producers who have suffered significant losses, in addition to fiscal, financial measures and any other actions that facilitate the productive recovery of the damaged farms.
In the case of farms with contracted policies, the organization also demands the utmost speed in the assessments by Agroseguro, so that farmers can know as soon as possible the compensations they are entitled to and payments are not delayed. La Unió also reiterates the need to "adapt and strengthen" agricultural insurance instruments "in the face of a climatic reality in which extreme episodes have an increasingly greater impact on the profitability and viability of professional farms in the Comunitat Valenciana."