For the farmers of Malta, the August rain was a mixed blessing
This week’s rain has been welcomed by farmers as a reprieve from the scorching summer temperatures but they are less happy about the flooding that has occurred, which has destroyed valuable soil and damaged some of the crops.
“The rain is always a good thing but the sudden flood is not because it does not allow the soil to absorb the water and this leads to soil erosion and the loss of some crops,” Malcolm Borg, coordinator of the farmers’ lobby Għda Bdiewa Attivi, he said yesterday.
“So, on the one hand, the rain replenished the groundwater but, on the other hand, it took away some of the soil,” he noted.
Heavy August rains hit the island in the middle of the week, causing flooding in several localities. The downpour came a little earlier than usual, usually happening towards September.
While August rains were expected, it was the flooding that was not– Malcolm Borg, coordinator of the Active Farmers Association
While August rains were expected, it was the flooding that was not.
Borg said that the rain would have allowed the farmers to raise the reservoirs. However, some farmers lost their crops due to the rain.
The wet weather had an impact on the onions, which are picked at this time of year and left to dry. Their shelf life will now be affected, said Borg.
As for the tomato harvest, the crop was particularly hit by the June heat wave and drought-breaking rains.
Last year, after three summer heat waves, tomato farmers estimated that they lost a third of their crop. The heat also had an impact on the grape harvest, with an estimated loss of a quarter of the yield.
“Tomatoes can take the heat but the heat waves – which can last a week – are too much even for this plant. The yield was low this year as well,” said Borg.
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