The drier weather and higher temperatures of the last two weeks have allowed Alicante's growers to re-enter their fields, "which had been muddy or flooded by the constant rains recorded before Christmas," stresses Juan Miguel Montaner, head of La Unió de Llauradors (Grower's Association) in the province. Based on what has been revealed by the latest assessment carried out in the field, especially in the area of ​​the Vega Baja, as well as by the auctions, the loss of citrus crops caused by the excess humidity has been estimated at 30%. The issue has especially affected the branches closest to the ground," he adds.

Moreover, after a long period of drought, this atypical situation, with a very damp soil, has brought the planting of winter vegetables (lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) to a halt for a few weeks. As a result, the total harvest will be greatly reduced or lost (as in the case of potatoes) ahead of the spring campaign, according to the representative of La Unió.

"The rain has, in fact, been beneficial for rainfed and wooded areas, but not for vegetables," explains Montaner. The halt in the planting of some of these crops has also affected the hiring of labourers, whose number has declined, especially in the month of January.

At the moment, producers are gradually marketing the products that were already planted, including artichokes, which are the least affected, given that they are more resistant, according to Montaner. At auction, it is reaching prices of up to 0.80 Euro per kilo, "when it would normally just cost 0.45 Euro," he affirms.

The drop in the production and the latest cold waves in Europe have actually given a boost to vegetable prices in many places. The province's growers, for their part, point out that the issue of production losses has been more noticeable in the areas of Cartagena, Lorca or Almeria, especially in the case of shipments for export.

In the week from 31 January to 6 February, products such as aubergines had a price at origin of between 2.15 and 3.01 Euro per kilo. Courgettes oscillated from 1.29 to 2.58 Euro per kilo, according to data from the Observatory of Food Product Prices of the Region of Valencia. In the following week, some supermarkets of Alicante were selling courgettes for 1.60 Euro per kilo, broccolis for 2 Euro per kilo, cabbages for 0.99 Euro per kilo, leeks for 2.19 Euro per kilo or aubergines for 1.99 Euro per kilo; prices which, in some cases, are lower than in the previous week in the same supermarkets.