The episode of heavy rain ended in Terres de l'Ebre, south of Tarragona, without causing any serious incidents. The heaviest rains were mainly concentrated in Ulldecona, with 125 liters per square meter during the day, and in Alcanar, where around 45 liters per square meter fell in just half an hour.
This region has a significant production of citrus fruits and, at that time, the harvest season was already underway for Clemenules, the most important variety in terms of volume.
“Despite the shocking images, the citrus plantations were not flooded, because the soil characteristics of these areas allow rapid drainage of water,” explains Jaume González, director of Viveros Alcanar, specialized in production and the supply of citrus plants.
“The direct impact on citrus plantations has been low, but it will affect the quality of the most mature early varieties on the trees, as well as part of the Clemenules harvest, the most important variety in production and of which the harvest, which was to begin less than 15 days ago, was constantly interrupted by the rains. The excess humidity of the last two weeks can cause damage to the skin of the fruit, or even rot, especially if temperatures increase,” explains Jaume González.
“The more professionalized sales companies will be better able to avoid quality problems when storing and packaging fruit, but other small producers with fewer resources, faced with the pressure of demand, could have complaints at destination,” underlines the director of this Alcanar nursery.
Remember that the Clemenules harvest estimate already anticipated a reduction in yields for the 2024/2025 season after the abundant volumes of last season. The impact of rain on quality could significantly reduce the usable production of this majority clementine variety in Spain.
