Cereal harvest in Malaga's fields this year is 'worst in history' as drought plagues the province

An extended period without rainfall has caused crop losses of up to 90% in some areas

Matías Stuber

Malaga

Monday, 3 July 2023 | Updated 04/07/2023 11:42h.

Malaga's wheat farmers are lamenting this year's cereal harvest as drought causes crop losses of up to 90% in some areas of the province.

"I can't remember a year in which the fields have been like this," said Benito Avilés, a farmer from Campillos who started harvesting this week. It is a feeling shared by many in the sector, who are trying to save the little wheat that has sprouted in a year savaged by drought.

Avilés summed up the dire situation as "no longer about making money, it's about limiting damage". The province has about 38,000 hectares of cereals such as durum wheat, soft wheat, barley and oats. The areas where these crops are most concentrated are in Teba, Almargen, Ardales, Campillos, the area north of Antequera, the Serranía de Ronda and the Guadalhorce Valley.

In 2022, the sector made about 47 million euros with a production of 72,520 tonnes. In 2023, according to Avilés, the harvest will be "light years away from 2022". If there is anything that has held up, it is in the cooler areas of the province. But there, the little grain that there is weighs very little and it won't help to avoid major losses, Avilés added.

Farming cooperative Dcoop's cereals director, Juan Carlos Rodríguez, has been working in the sector in the province for three decades and had no hesitation in describing 2023 as the "worst in history".

For the Dcoop expert, there is no area in Malaga that will be spared. "In Campillos we are talking about losses of 80%, in Antequera 85%, and I would go as far as to say that in Teba, there is even a 90% drop," he said.

Drought

In addition to the lack of rain in February, there has been intense heat in spring, resulting in drier than usual conditions. According to several farmers, temperatures above 30 degrees killed off the sowing season.

There is also concern about the 2023 harvest at Asaja. The president of the agricultural association, Baldomero Bellido, described it as a "dramatic situation" and said the drought meant that cereal would not be developed in Malaga this year.

The economic losses for the countryside will consequently be drastic. Despite the low production in the province, however, a high rise in prices is not expected. The national market relies on cereal coming from other producing countries, such as Ukraine or Canada.

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