Costa Cálida
Storms destroy 20 percent of Apricot crop in Murcia
By h.b.
May 12, 2008 - 8:17 AM

Recent torrential rain in the Murcia region is estimated to have caused losses of 8 million € in the local apricot crop. Storms last week are thought to have destroyed 20%, or 10,000 tons, of the crop in the Vega Alta, which had been predicting one of the best harvests for many years.

Farmers are getting between 65 and 70 cents per kilo for their crops. The loss of the fruit is also expected to have a knock-on effect on the amount of temporary work available for picking at a time when many immigrant workers in the region are looking to the fields for employment after being laid off from construction sites.