More than 700 hectares of fruit, mainly peaches and nectarines, have been affected in the Bajo Cinca by a hailstorm which took place on Tuesday afternoon. It was short, but with very large hailstones, "as big as hen's eggs" in some places.
Damage concentrated in the towns of Belver de Cinca, Osso and Zaidín. The deputy mayor of Belver de Cinca and fruit producer, José Foj, explained that this town is probably the most damaged, with about 300 hectares of peaches, nectarines and also some cereals affected.
As has been reported, there was a dry storm lasting for about five minutes, "damage mostly due to the diameter and virulence" of the hailstones. At his plantations, located in the most affected area of the municipality, between 60 and 80 percent of the peach and nectarine production has been damaged.
Foj states that this hailstorm has taken place "at a bad time," taking into account that the previous campaign was marked by low prices, mostly as a result of the Russian ban.
The first deputy mayor of Belver has asked for the assessment of damages by the insurance company (Agroseguros) to be carried out "as speedily as possible," since the fallen fruit "could be lost within three or four days." He also said all possible assistance will be requested.
The manager of the agricultural cooperative in Osso de Cinca, Marc Castillón, stated that between 150 and 200 hectares have been affected in his municipality, with at least a hundred of them belonging to his group. Castillón said that the most affected fruits have been peaches, nectarines and flat peaches, some of which were to start being harvested next Thursday.
He also commented that, due to the size of the hailstones, some fruits have been damaged and others not even though in the same tree, stating that they are now assessing the damage and that they have contacted Agroseguros to ensure a speedy process.
For his part, the mayor of Zaidín, Marco Antonio Ibarz, estimated that some 250 hectares of peaches and nectarines have been damaged in his town, as well as corn to a much lesser extent.
Ibarz said that between 40 and 70 percent of the production has been affected, with plenty of fruit on the ground, but also damaged while still on the tree. As a result, anti-fungal treatments will be needed.
The mayor of Zaidín lamented "how frequent hailstorms have become in recent seasons," as it causes "lack of motivation" in the sector, because the work of a whole year can go down the drain in just a few minutes. However, he pointed out that 90 percent of growers have their production insured.
Growers remain watchful, since new hailstorms have been announced for the coming days.
Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/
