Plants are changing their cycles, especially with regard to flowering and ripening, as a result of the increase in temperatures caused by climate change. These alterations to the flora start a chain reaction that even ends up on our tables.
The climate is a determining factor for the supply of food, especially for those that come from agriculture. The fruit depends on the flower, and flowering has advanced. In Catalonia, almond trees, cherry trees, plum and pear trees have begun the flowering stage before the usual season, according to data from the Fenocat network of the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (SMC) and the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (Creaf) from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
The lack of coordination that is being established between the flora and the seasons of the year causes a greater vulnerability of plants to extreme weather phenomena, such as frosts, which, moreover, are increasingly less predictable.
“We are entering unknown territory, because in the past frosts could be predicted, so the best time for planting was known, but now nothing is known,” says Mariano Sánchez, head of the garden unit and arboretum of the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid.
The direct consequence of this was seen last month with the price of Spanish watermelons in the supermarket – the kilogram reached three euros, compared to the euro and the previous summer. More recently, it has also been seen in olive oil, which reached eight euros per liter in July, while in December the price was five euros per liter.
On August 3, Asaja Alicante stated that the continued outlook is for a high price for oil, as production has been reduced by drought and heat. The flowers, which had advanced, ended up “burnt”, according to the agricultural association.
In Zaragoza, Javier Fatas, farmer and member of the Coordinator of Farmers’ and Ranchers’ Organizations (COAG), explains that these changes are affecting the vineyards a lot, “with an advance of at least a couple of weeks in most of the varieties in most of the territory”. The farmer adds that the lack of water and the heat also influence the size of the fruit and the fattening cycle, the acidity and the pH of the fruits, and that this will translate into the taste of the crops
And in the Baix Guadalquivir, almonds suffer a 40% decrease. Productes Transformats de COAG Andalusia emphasizes that the first flowering of the almond trees took place in harsh climatic conditions of heat, and then there were torrential rains.
Stone fruits are in a similar situation; in Extremadura, the reduction this season has been 24% – compared to 2022 -; finally, elongated oranges and tangerines have appeared in Valencia instead of round ones, due to the stress of flowering.
It is not yet known what effect all this will have on prices, but in an analysis of the consumer price index (CPI) over the last year some of the biggest increases have been identified in oil d olive (38.8%), potatoes (22.9%), rice (22%) and canned fruit (19.4%). If only the last quarter is taken as a reference, the increase in the price of fresh and chilled fruit stands out (19.1%).
The repercussion of the drop in supply can, however, go beyond prices. In the United Kingdom, tomatoes were rationed during February due to the shortage of supplies that the climatic adversity had caused in a generalized way in Europe.
