Frost wreaks havoc on Murcian artichoke

The recent frosts in the Spanish region of Murcia have caused damage to the tune of at least €1m to the artichoke crop, according to initial estimates by Agroseguro. The territorial director of the Spanish Combined Agricultural Insurance System (Agroseguro) in the southeast, Jesús López, told Efeagro that the main damaged crop has been artichoke (124ha), although lettuce and potato have also been affected.

It is still too early to give figures for the total damage, with the low temperatures persisting and expected to continue. Agroseguro has so far received reports on 124 hectares, although this figure may be higher because insured producers are still conducting evaluations on their farms.

While many farmers were able to bring forward the harvest due to the warm weather up to mid-January, other producers have been left without a harvest due to the frosts.