The family economy and the basic consumption basket are suffering the consequences of the extreme weather this summer. Olive oil, watermelon, melon, stone fruit, cereal, milk… suffer from an unusual increase in prices and some scenes of deprivation. The absence of rain (reserved water is at 44% and, according to Copernicus, the EU Earth Observation Program, Spain shares the red alert with northern Morocco and Algeria), hailstorms at the end of spring and high temperatures, with increasingly frequent and severe heat waves, are having a direct impact on the supply and quality of the products that reach the fridge and pantry. Climate change is leaving its mark on agriculture and livestock and, therefore, on the final consumer.
You probably went to the supermarket in the last few days and did not find watermelon or cantaloupe. There is an explanation: the torrential rains and hail of the last few months. The stones destroyed the first harvests in Murcia. Farmers had to replant, but the torrential rain pretty much ruined the second crop. That is why at this moment the supply is not normalized. During the next few days, exemplary products from the later Castilla-La Mancha harvest will begin to arrive in stores, which will normalize the situation, explains one of the large food companies.
Much of the agri-food chain is exposed to extreme weather conditions. The problem is that these adverse phenomena are becoming more common. One of the autonomous communities most affected is Catalonia, the interior part, in particular, where the stone fruit is grown. The Association of Young Farmers (Asaja) has an observatory to know the situation of peaches, apricots, plums and cherries. Yes, it is true that for this year they foresee a recovery, not to mention the nectarine, in the production of 22% compared to 2022, up to 1.1 million tons. The problem is that this figure is 5% below the last five years. It won’t be a bad stone fruit harvest but it could have been much better. And the heat waves have influenced this. The end of the mild winter and the warm spring, explains Asaja, have caused a correct flowering, but the prolonged drought, especially in the Ebro valley, has caused the first problems. With a lack of irrigation and high temperatures, ripening has advanced and the fruit has not developed. The sector, therefore, is facing a big problem. It’s selling less and that’s driving up the quotes.
Olive oil, the considered liquid gold produced in Spain, is also on red alert, at record prices. The reason? the drought The absence of rain, more alarming in the basins of the south of the country, the late frosts and the heat during flowering. The olive does not take root as it should, and the tree is damaged. Those that have been cut down will take two years to recover.
Spain is the world’s largest producer of olive oil. Product appreciated in a large number of countries, the extra virgin, the jewel in the crown, is in historic quotas. On Friday, according to the reference system, its price was 7.615 euros per kilo. During June and July it is experiencing an escalation that the producers do not know when it will end.
Manuel Lillo is an olive farmer in the province of Jaén. He explains that in 2020 he was selling his oil at 2.40 euros per liter. “How far will this go?”, he asks. Spain could produce 750,000 tons of olive oil when more than a million are consumed in Spain alone. This situation is bringing farmers and ranchers to a borderline situation.
The Andalusian Lillo is forceful: “I see photovoltaics very well, but there are more and more of us and people have to eat”. The scenes of Alcarràs, the film by Carla Simón, are repeated throughout Spain. The struggle of field professionals against renewables, farmers who defend their land against the proliferation of photovoltaic panels. The olive grower believes that the field is experiencing a “limit situation”.
The cereal situation does not invite optimism either. The problem repeats itself: the absence of rain harms the harvest of 2023. According to the forecasts of the farmers’ organization, the cereal production of the autumn-winter period will be 5 million tons, far from the more than 15 million last year. It will mean a decrease of more than 67%. The consequence is that the prices of wheat, barley, oats or rye will rise.
Another essential food that is at the limit in 2023 is milk. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture collected by Asaja, the price of milk from cattle has increased by 19% year-on-year. In July 2022 the liter of milk was sold at 44 cents per liter, in July it is being sold for almost 53 cents per liter. The same thing happens with eggs. At the Bellpuig market, in Lleida, the dozen was quoted this week at 2.35 euros. The price of multiplies on the shelves of Mercadona and Dia up to 3 euros, says Asaja. Live lamb, meanwhile, was quoted at the Salamanca market at 5.75 euros per kilo, 20 cents more than last week.
The prices of a good part of basic foods, in short, are increasing due to the effects of climate change. And the consumer already perceives it. Alarms have also been set off in the distribution. “We are working together with the producer sector so that the consumer notices as little as possible the impact of the climatic anomalies resulting from the heat, drought and heavy rains that farmers suffer”, explains Felipe Medina, general technical secretary of Asedas. Another business organization, Anged, warns about the impact of drought and heat on oil and cereal. “There are some productions that had a very bad winter and the harvest has been damaged”. Prices rise and inflation increases.
