ARCHIVED - Hailstorm damage to fruit and vegetables in Murcia on Tuesday estimated at 3 million euros
The violent storm ruined crops from Totana in the south-west to Jumilla in the north
The heavy hailstorm which battered many areas of the Region of Murcia on Tuesday afternoon is reported to have caused extensive damage to fruit orchards in the area, with the losses for agriculturalists potentially amounting to millions of Euros according to the UPA farmers’ union.
The fruit affected includes apricots, peaches, nectarines, almonds, pears and grapes as well as leaf vegetables, and severe damage to crops and trees is reported in parts of the municipalities of Mula, Pliego, Archena, Molina, Fortuna, Campos del Río, Albudeite, Cieza, Jumilla and Totana.
Crop growers in the Campo de Cartagena and other parts of the Guadalentín valley were spared the violent hailstorm and can count themselves lucky, as the regional government estimates the value of the ruined products at three million euros following inspections carried out on Wednesday morning. However, the sale value of the crops could have been even higher due to a scarcity of produce being forecast this year, with yields forecast to be very low in other parts of Spain as well as in France and Italy as a result of various meteorological setbacks.