The assessment of the damage caused by the frost associated with the Cyril storm on the first weekend of April is progressing rapidly, confirming the worst initial forecasts.

More than 200 Agroseguro technicians are already working on the assessment and the entity has reported that it had received loss reports corresponding to more than 80,000 insured plots, with almost 85,000 hectares. "We've received reports from farmers from practically all over Spain (47 provinces). However, most of the damage is concentrated in the Ebro valley (Lleida, Huesca, and Zaragoza), Castilla-La Mancha (mainly Albacete, although there is also a lot of damage in Ciudad Real, Cuenca, and Toledo), and the province of Valencia."

"We've confirmed that the most important damage occurred in crops that were going through very sensitive growth and development phases. The most affected fruit trees were the peach trees, but there was also damage to pear, apple, apricot, and plum production. Fruit production is extensively protected, as up to 80% of the crops were insured."

Almond crops were also very affected in many areas, although most of the damage was recorded in Albacete and in Castilla-La Mancha. In this case, even though insurance has grown exponentially and steadily in the last five years (an increase in insured production of 223% since 2017), only more than 30% of the crops were insured."

"Fruit and almond trees account for 80% of the area damaged by frost. The rest of the reports received so far correspond to damages in persimmon, cherry, pea, beetroot, rapeseed, and early varieties of wine grapes, among other crops."

"This is the worst one-off accident suffered by the Spanish countryside over the 42-year history of agrarian insurance." The first estimate of compensation - made on the basis of preliminary information - stood at 150 million euro, although the figure will be adjusted as the expert work progresses.

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com