Some more news from Spain due to frost:
In the Murcia region, losses due to frost so far amounted to 8.4 million euros. The artichoke was damaged on an area of 4400 hectares, lettuce - 1200 hectares, lemon and olive groves were also damaged (there is no exact data), and other vegetables.
La alcachofa, con 4.400 hectáreas afectadas, es el cultivo más perjudicado | Cadena SER
cadenaser.com
For other regions of Spain, there is almost no data at all, although there is also a difficult situation, judging by the photographs. Central Spain (Madrid) has requested assistance of 1,400 billion euros due to snowfall and frost.
In addition, the shortage of vegetables and fruits will hit the neighboring countries, where Spain exports its fruits and vegetables - Belgium and Great Britain. Here's what they write:
The extreme winter weather in Spain isn't problematic for only that country. It's affecting Belgium too. According to Cédric Geens of W. Jonckheere, it's simple. "We're very dependent on…
www.freshplaza.com
According to Belgian Cedric Guins of W. Jonckheere, the situation is not easy now. “We are very dependent on Spanish agriculture in both summer and winter. It doesn't take a genius to see major problems emerge in the coming weeks. Especially considering the weather they've had in recent weeks. "
“Southern Spain is struggling with extremely low temperatures. And in the central and northern parts of Spain, severe frosts are raging. There is a very severe frost and a thick layer of snow on field vegetables. This has already done serious damage. For citrus fruits, we'll wait and see how bad the damage is. It's too early to tell. However, it seems that citrus has not been spared. Our Spanish suppliers cannot work hard yet. Thus, the download was small. last days ".
The Spanish vegetable season began with high volumes. This was thanks to the good growing season they had. "This made production excellent. But prices remained depressing until the end of December. This was due to such high volumes and the closure of the hotel sector," says Cedric.
- Now prices have skyrocketed. They were still dropping cucumbers a few weeks ago. The prices were awful - € 1.50 / box. They are now selling for € 14 per box. These huge price fluctuations also complicate our lives. Everyday consumers struggle to understand these price fluctuations. "
“We have to pay the asking prices for the products. However, supermarkets only pay the agreed contract prices. This is forcing some customers to cut costs, making the market even more volatile. It is difficult to predict how the next two to three weeks will go. I think it will be difficult for both vegetables and citrus fruits, "concludes Cedric.
PS It seems desperate times are ahead of us. The script for The Day After Tomorrow comes to mind more and more often.