August came to an end Monday in a destructive way in the Spanish region of Aragon. After weeks recovering from the previous hailstorm, registered in mid-July, another very severe one took place in Bajo Aragon and Matarraña. Hail the size of ping pong balls caused severe damage and panic, especially in Puigmoreno, Valmuel and Torre del Compte. The Alcañiz City Council announced late on Monday that it would proceed to seek a declaration of disaster area by the DGA and the central government, so that those affected can be eligible for support. Pending a more accurate assessment of the damage caused, the Cooperative San Miguel de Puigmoreno believes the storm could have caused damage to 100% of the fields, especially on the banks of the river Regallo. Growers in Valmuel and Puigmoreno, which were recovering from a heavy hailstorm registered last July, which also affected 50% of the harvest in some cases, spoke of "a catastrophic incident. The worst thing is that growers were about to harvest the late peaches, which account for most of this fruit's production," said Joaquín Alquézar, mayor of the municipality of Puigmoreno. The hailstorm, which lasted for more than 15 minutes, hit 100% of the arable land, some 2,500 hectares, and caused damage to fruits, leaves and branches. It is worth noting that peaches represent more than 50% of the agricultural production in both towns. In fact, there were good prospects for the harvest this year, as around 5 million kilos of the fruit were estimated to qualify for the Designation of Origin Melocotón de Calanda. Furthermore, losses had been expected to range just between 20 and 30%. "Some fruit had been harvested, but most was still in the trees," said one of the victims. Regarding almonds, the harvest was expected to be 25% lower than in the previous season, so the hailstorm Monday will have further aggravated the situation. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com