Spain: Persistent storms threaten the harvest of more than 4 million kilos of beans, while cereal prices rose in León

Stormy weather in León, Spain, is causing difficulties in bean harvesting and putting the campaign at risk. Some beans have already been uprooted and are in poor condition, and those not yet uprooted are facing delayed access due to the wettest areas of the province. Estimates suggest that a third of the 5,323 hectares sown with beans may remain unharvested, potentially losing over 4 million kilos. Despite these challenges, the price of cereals is rising while the price of potatoes is falling.

The persistent storms that are affecting the province of León are making harvesting of beans very difficult and are putting the campaign at risk. The beans that were already uprooted on the farms are in the worst condition and the ones that are yet to be uprooted are having a much more difficult time, since they coincide with the wettest areas of the province and therefore their access to carry out the work will be delayed in time when we enter autumn and the days are shorter for drying. It should be remembered that we are also coming from a complicated spring in terms of weather and that these same areas are the ones that delayed their sowing the most. According to the estimates of the market, a third of the 5,323 ha that were sown this year would remain to be harvested, that is, more than 4 million kilos would be in danger of being harvested if we take as a reference the 2,300 kg/ha of production estimated by the Statistics Commission of the Junta de Castilla y León. However, ...