Spain: Hail deals another blow to the potato crop in Sa Pobla

There is no sound more devastating to a farmer than the hail lashing his crops. Once again, after about two months, hail has damaged the potato fields, this time covering larger areas than the previous storm. This situation exacerbates the sector’s crisis. Farmers have been warning for several months about a lack of support and attention from institutions, and now the recurring hailstorms are added to the mix, along with the nematode infestation that threatens the crop’s survival. Agriculture in Sa Pobla is in a constant state of emergency. The farmers, whose lives have been tied to this land for generations, are not asking for charity; they are demanding the protection and consideration they deserve, recalling the meeting held at the Can Planes Museum with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and the municipal authorities.

Back in June, farmers were already warning of a crisis in the survival of this crop. Several farmers had already stopped planting winter potatoes. Those who still dared to plant have seen their crops decimated by hail. Months of effort have vanished in minutes, and the farmers are asking themselves: "Where are the authorities when it really matters?" The agricultural community expected an immediate response, a clear contingency plan, a show of support that went beyond "using the agricultural image to raise millions in funding and appearing at inaugurations without providing us with any real support," they say.

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The contrast of indifference

The pain of the countryside is compounded by the noise of the celebrations. While the land of Sa Pobla cried out for help, the authorities chose to focus their resources and attention on the celebration in Can Corro and the agricultural interpretation center, whose priority, those affected claim, "is far removed from the urgent needs of the primary sector."

"It is an offensive contrast between the agricultural crisis that demands an emergency response and the frivolous use and politicization of the agricultural sector," the farmers state, "we deserve for the administrations to have their eyes and resources focused on the crisis we are experiencing and on the search for funds for the survival of the sector and not on using the agricultural image to justify millions of euros in European funds while we go to ruin."