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ARCHIVED - Heatwave devastates sensitive crops in Murcia
On Monday Murcia recorded the highest temperatures in Spain, with most of the fruit producing areas exceeding 40 degrees
The soaring temperatures in Murcia region on Monday has led to the devastation of several of the more sensitive crops and agricultural representative COAG fears that should the summer prove to be hotter than normal, further damage could be done to crops in the region.
Following a heatwave at the beginning of the week in the region of Murcia which saw temperatures top the thermometers at a sweltering 44.1 degrees, farmers in Jumilla have been “devastated” by a significant loss to crops such as Jumilla pears which have been dehydrated and burned.
Agricultural organisation COAG said on Thursday that the rise in temperatures had led to “an unusual drop in humidity and torrid gales, dehydrated fruits, vegetables and woody crops in a few hours.”
On Monday, Murcian farmers were forced to cut their working hours to a half day by the blistering temperatures, with Murcia city and the whole of the Segura River Valley on a red alert for up to 44 degrees.
In the Altiplano region of Jumilla, COAG has estimated that severe damage has been caused to between 20 and 50 per cent of their protected pear crop, which was only a few days away from harvest. Farmers now fear that a large proportion of the yield will have been severely stunted by the heat and will therefore be rejected by the market for its reduced quality.
Crops that depend on rainfall to flourish, such as grapes and olives, have similarly been affected, with the hot gusts of winds causing the fruit on the tress to burn and more to fall prematurely.
Temperatures returned to a more stable 28 degrees as the week progressed, with Spain’s State Meteorological Agency Aemet predicting another rise from July 15.
Image: COAG