The recent weeks have seen one topic dominate discussions across the farming and agricultural sectors: extreme heat. May and June broke temperature records, and the heat has pressed on farmers as crops struggle to cope with the scorching weather. Grains, in particular, show signs of stress as the heat dries them sooner than expected. This season, the province of Alicante faced a significant reduction in harvests, with production dropping by roughly 44,000 tons. Contributing factors include heavy spring rainfall followed by intense heat, culminating in losses that reach around 12 million euros as farmers find it hard to translate higher market prices into real gains amid rising costs.
Ukraine’s role as Europe’s breadbasket added another layer to the situation. While higher prices seemed to benefit other producing regions including Alicante, the harvest fell short of expectations after the initial optimism. A producer from the El Comtat region, Gonzalo Cots, described a series of setbacks: record rainfall at the start of the season flooded fields and delayed germination, and now the intense heat is drying grains before they can reach full maturity. These conditions created a cascade of problems at critical growing stages, underscoring how weather variability can disrupt crop cycles despite favorable price signals.
Ricardo Ferri, who represents the l’Alcoià region and is associated with Asaja, echoed these concerns and noted that the impact is uneven across the province. Northern areas have borne the brunt, and Ferri suggested that a portion of the harvest could be lost in some spots. He estimated a potential 20 percent harvest loss in certain zones, with overall production around 44,000 tons and a market valuation near 12 million euros. The contrast between rising prices and falling yields emphasizes the tight margin farmers face when input costs continue to climb and yields shrink at the same time.
Thus, producers are not only contending with a drop in yield but also with costs that outpace revenue. The increase in grain prices has not fully offset higher production expenses. José Ramón Beltrán, who oversees grain at La Unió, highlighted a sharp rise in key inputs: diesel up 215 percent, electricity up 77 percent, and fertilizers and plant-protection products climbing by more than 30 percent. He warned that even a relatively strong harvest might not be financially viable if producers cannot secure a price that covers these elevated costs.
Province increases sunflower planting by 30% at full price rise
Against this backdrop, La Unió is pushing for measures to offset the surge in farming inputs. The association has urged the Spanish government to seek temporary tariff suspensions on imported raw materials used in fertilizer production from Brussels. It also advocates for a public framework to determine reference production costs in agri-food contracts and adequate financial backing from public administrations to reduce dependency on foreign grain and to avert potential shortages down the line.
The heat wave has also injected uncertainty into the future of sunflower harvests. In Alicante, sunflowers expanded by roughly 30 percent in response to rising prices driven in part by the Ukraine conflict. Yet the same warmth that fueled new planting also forced replanting in some fields after the initial crop failed to establish due to surface soil dryness. A grower, Gonzalo Cots, noted that while sunflower could partially offset some cereal losses, it remains unclear whether germination will proceed normally under current conditions. The situation is complicated and requires careful management and contingency planning as the season progresses.