Bad weather is the main cause of losses in the fields of Galicia, Spain. The compensations given by insurance companies for damages caused by extreme weather events last year affected more than 3,600 hectares and exceeded 1.4 million Euro, according to data provided by the Spanish Association of Insurance Entities of Combined Agricultural Insurance (Agroseguro). Despite this, 95% of the small producers in the region currently have no insurance and only 2% of the acreage cultivated in Galicia is protected. The balance of the last four years reflects the professionalization of the agricultural sector, with farms growing in size. Hence, despite the fact that the number of insurance policies fell by 11%, the acreage insured against inclement weather or accidents has doubled, from 7,000 hectares protected in 2015 to almost 15,000 last year. Last year, Pontevedra was the Galician province with the most acreage damaged by the weather, with almost 1,300 hectares affected, and their owners received more than one million Euro in compensations. Next in the ranking, we find Lugo (more than 1,200 hectares), Ourense (almost 666 hectares) and, lastly, A Coruña (more than 450). The compensations paid out in the latter three provinces amount to less than 200,000 Euro. In the case of Ourense, they come close to 174,000 Euro; in Lugo, they exceed 114,000, and in A Coruña they amount to almost 106,000 Euro. Hail caused the most damage, with almost 570 hectares of crops affected in Pontevedra, more than 275 hectares in Lugo and 136 in Ourense. The wind also took a toll on the crops, with more than 350 hectares affected, and the rains destroyed 290 hectares of plantations in A Coruña (117) and Ourense (almost 175). The total acreage damaged last year in Galicia by adverse weather events exceeds 3,600 hectares; 7% more than in 2018, according to Agroseguro data. The amount paid out in compensations more than doubles that of a year earlier: 1.4 million Euro in 2019, compared to just 655,000 Euro in 2018. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com