The Union of Small Farmers of Castilla y León (UPA CyL) has warned that cereal production in the Community will suffer a cut of close to 40% compared to the previous campaign, a direct consequence of the "extremely high temperatures suffered in the last 15 days" and the forecast that they will continue "at least until June 11".
In a statement sent to the media, the agricultural organization details that this heatwave has coincided with the grain filling phase of wheat and barley, a period it considers "key for the correct filling of the grain and for its specific weight". Furthermore, it emphasizes that the impact has been especially "devastating" in the provinces located in the south and center of Castilla y León, areas with more sandy and dry soils, where cultivation is more vulnerable to thermal stress.
According to UPA CyL's estimates, this year's harvest will fall below the regional "historical average" and will not reach five million tons. In this context, the organization questions the forecast made at the end of March by the Agrarian Technology Institute of Castilla y León (Itacyl), which predicted a "historic" campaign of 8.4 million tons, in line with last year's results.
Faced with this "extreme" scenario, also conditioned by "low prices and high production costs", UPA CyL calls on those who will soon take over the Ministry of Agriculture to implement "extraordinary measures". In particular, it proposes the implementation of direct aid for farmers who do not achieve an increase of 19% in wheat and 24% in barley compared to the historical average of the last 30 years.
In parallel, the organization insists on the urgency of establishing strict control over cereal imports in order to stabilize prices at origin. UPA CyL warns that the inaction of the administrations could lead to the "collapse of a sector that it considers key to the agriculture and livestock farming of Castilla y León, in addition to causing serious harm to the upcoming campaign in the territory".
Lastly, it asks the competent authorities to proceed to "flexibilize" the application of environmental regulations during the harvesting period. The organization concludes that such demands "increase the operational limitations of producers and generate a series of additional costs that directly penalize the results of cereal farms".