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ARCHIVED - Murcia farmers double irrigation as expensive crops wither in the heat
Vineyards, cereal crops, olive and almond trees in the Murcia Region have all been parched in the drought
This time last year, the region of Murcia was buried under a deluge of torrential rain that may have lowered spirits somewhat but worked wonders on the area’s crops. Fast forward 12 months and the landscape couldn’t be more different: virtually no rain has fallen yet this year, resulting in parched fields and forcing farmers to double the amount of irrigation needed for their harvests. For a country that is in long-term drought, this situation simply can’t continue.
"It had been many years since we had such a long period without rain," according to Antonio Moreno, general secretary of UPA Murcia, who explained that, at the moment, farmers are watering their crops four times a week, which puts serious pressure on the near-empty reservoirs.
“In the dry land, the trees begin to give in to the drought,” he added.
And while melting snow has topped up the Region's aquifers to some extent, the outlook isn’t promising. The State Meteorological Agency predicts hotter-than-normal temperatures in the southeast of Spain for the next three months and although some light rain is forecast towards the end of Easter week, it’s unlikely this will have any major impact on water supplies. For now, everything depends on whether or not the Atlantic front actually arrives at the weekend.
Pedro García of COAG explained that the dry ground is causing a delay in the growth of vine shoots, while this water stress is leading to olive trees losing their fruit. A similar situation is reported by almond farmers.
"In a couple of months the situation could become more drastic," says García. "Farmers are nervous. If it continues like this, the effect will be devastating for the Region, but in Yecla and Jumilla the problem is such that if you dig two meters deep, the earth comes out as ash”.
The lack of water is also driving more wild animals onto agricultural land to feed, and farmers in the Region have been plagued by hoards of rabbits that peel the barks of almond and pear trees and vines. Again, the situation is most dire in Yecla and Jumilla, where some plantations have reported a 100% loss of cereal crops due to a combination of drought and wild rabbits.
Image: Segura Hydrographic Confederation
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