The strong storms of the last few days have caused damage to some 3,000 hectares of farms in the region of Cinco Villas and the area of Valdealgorfa. The initial estimate places the affected hectares in Cinco Villas at around 2,000 and around 900 in Valdealgorfa, although the final extent of the losses has yet to be assessed on the ground.
The agriculture of Valdealgorfa has been seriously affected by the episode of hail this Sunday. As the local farmer, Óscar Belmonte, has commented, rainfall of 60-80 liters per square meter was concentrated in just twenty minutes.
THE STORM MOVED FROM CASTELERES TO VALDEALGORFA
«At first dry hail fell, then it was accompanied by water and a hurricane wind that took everything away,» said Belmonte, who points out that the storm came from Casteleres where it affected agricultural facilities, passed through Alcañiz and unloaded in Valdealgorfa.
The main damage has been recorded in walnut and fruit crops and, especially, in apple trees. Almond trees were also affected, with conditions of up to 70%, and olive trees, with damages of between 20% and 50%. It changes a lot depending on the area, as stated by the also vice-president of Asaja Aragón: «500 metres are very noticeable in these summer storms«.
In Cinco Villas, the most affected municipalities are Pinsoro, Bardenas, Biota, Sádaba and El Bayo. Rainfall of between 30 and 70 litres per square metre has been recorded on the affected farms, accompanied by a strong hail episode that has caused damage of varying degrees to numerous crops.
HAIL AFFECTS CROPS IN DIFFERENT STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
Among the affected productions are almond, soybean, sunflower, chili peppers, rice, leeks, peppers, corn and alfalfa. The pepper is currently in the middle of the harvesting campaign, so the hail has hit the productions when the farmers were harvesting their crops.
Horticultural crops, maize and sunflower have also been severely affected, with possible significant production losses. The fodder, which was in the middle of the growth phase, has also suffered particularly serious damage.
UAGA is monitoring the damage while farmers report the claims to Agroseguro. The agrarian organization claims that, in the insured crops, the compensation corresponds to the percentage of real damage existing in the plots and productions.
Likewise, the Union of Farmers and Ranchers of Aragon calls on the Government of Aragon to engage urgently to address the situation of the affected farms and study the implementation of support measures, whether direct aid or compensation and indemnity mechanisms for those productions that cannot be covered by agricultural insurance.
