It has rained so much that Spanish legumes are literally rage

A phytosanitary alert. Most of the time everything starts like this: a phytosanitary alert and chaos. In this case, the alarm He has launched it The Junta de Castilla y León and the reason has been the rage and Mildiu. We do not know if 2025 will be the worst year for legumes in Spain, but of course it will try.

What happened? That the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development Spanish and Leonesa “He has issued A phytosanitary alert aimed at farmers in the region, especially those who cultivate legumes “before the detection of rage (disgust) and Mildiu.

It is no accident. The abundant rain of recent months creates the perfect conditions for these two diseases to extend like gunpowder. They are two diseases of fungal origin that cause lesions in leaves, stems or pods. And, in general, they greatly reduce the performance of the bushes.

What does the alert entail? In general, a series of recommendations. The Board asks farmers to monitor their plots actively, make an individualized diagnosis if they find visible symptoms of the disease and manage it according to the Technical Support Protocols which facilitates the Ministry.

But is it really a problem? Yes. Having fungi of this type belling at ease for some of the main agricultural areas of the country is always a problem. But as if that were a little, it is a quite bad year for legumes.

And the best example is the chickpeas. In good part of the country, chickpea plantations They go with great delay. In general, the chickpea has to be more than 100 days in the countryside and “this year, hopefully, will pass 60”. In fact, Just a couple of weeks ago“the plant would have to measure a span and still without sowing” because the accumulation of water on the grounds made it unfeasible.

This is a problem because The norms of common agricultural policy obliges to farmers to plant legumes. So we find crops under developed by meteorology and that are widespread for an administrative issue: there is only a plague to round the argument of an economic and productive crisis of a considerable size.

To this we must add that our largest chickpea supplier (Commercial war through) It is the United States.

And what will happen? It is a good question. Except that implode the international market, consumers are not likely to notice all this. After all, Mexico, Canada and other countries They are in conditions to compensate for our legume needs.

At the productive level, The thing is more complicated: As I said, the PAC makes exposure to a bad legume harvest high. And that will complicate the life of a good part of a sector that, After years of droughtI hoped to recover normal this 2025.

All scenario are on the table, but what seems clear is that lthe processes of Fielding of the field will accelerate.

Image | Shelley Pauls | Aemet

In Xataka | It has rained 143% more than normal this March. Although it does not seem like it, for the Spanish field it is also a problem