Droughts have already caused the loss of more than 50% of the almond harvest in Lorca and trees' condition is "dire," according to the president of the Coordinator of Grower and Farmer Organisations (COAG) of Murcia, Miguel Padilla, who reminded that 21,000 hectares of this crop in the region are very severely affected by the water shortages.

The lack of rainfall has already "destroyed" over 5,000 hectares of almonds in the Region of Murcia, a large portion of them concentrated in the northern districts of Lorca, and the situation keeps getting worse "with each day that trees are left without water." Growers and the regional Government have already requested help to the Segura Water Authority.

The extent of the damages is such that COAG is already working on the development of a series of measures "to be urgently introduced" for the recovery of the losses, including "a conversion plan."

Replanting all affected trees and aiding the agricultural sector

The plan entails the replanting of all dry trees and will thus make it necessary to regulate what to do with growers benefiting from agricultural subsidies, who "could suffer negative consequences, given the absence of produce."

In this regard, Padilla said that the issue will have to be raised to the European authorities, as the losses were caused by extreme weather conditions, so that aid to producers must be maintained despite the lack of produce.

The President of COAG reminded that almond trees must undergo a seven year maturing process before becoming productive, "a very long period in which measures should be sought to ensure that growers can continue making a proper living."

Padilla pointed out that, according to statistics, the current drought is one of the worst registered in the area in the past seventy years.

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/