Farmers feel heatwaves are getting hotter and lasting longer
The current high temperatures are causing problems for farmers and their summer produce, farmers speaking to The Malta Independent have explained. They also feel that heatwaves are getting longer and more intense.
This newsroom contacted a number of farmers to ask about the problems they face as a result of the current high temperatures.
In order to minimise the effects on fruit and vegetables and on the fields themselves, farmers have to use more water than normal, stressing that one cannot control nature.
“This will result in higher costs. To save cabbages for example, you need to water them twice a day. When temperatures reach 32.33ºC, then there will be damage,” Vincent Camilleri, a farmer of 45 years told The Malta Independent.
“We didn’t used to have such strong heatwaves lasting a week; maybe ones which lasted a day. Each year it gets worse and the climate is getting hotter.”
Speaking in general, he explained that farmers need to use, on average, twice the amount of water they normally would.
His day typically begins at 4am, when he wakes up to harvest his crops, but between 11am and 4pm it is best to remain indoors due to the heat. He irrigates his fields in the morning and once again in the evening, working from 4 to 9pm.
He appealed to consumers to continue purchasing local produce.
Back in June 2016, the government had given €900,000 to around 5,000 fruit and vegetable farmers due to the lack of rain that year. Camilleri mentioned that the government does not normally provide such aid for heatwaves. He also did not know whether any talks were taking place on compensation due to the current hot spell.
Another farmer, Grezju Saliba, also said that he has to irrigate his fields more than usual due to the heat. He said that he personally does not have many products that grow in summer, but he did state that there would be problems with the fields if he did. “I have to irrigate the crops each day and I would have to use more water,” he explained. Saliba, who has been a farmer for 30 years, also confirmed that the heat has been getting worse as the years go by.
Saliba explained that there was more rainfall this year than last year, “but there still wasn’t enough.” He stressed that there still was a problem.
A scorching heatwave dubbed ‘Lucifer’ has gripped southern Europe – affecting Serbia, Romania, Croatia and parts of Spain, France and Italy – fuelling wildfires, damaging crops and straining energy and water supplies. Authorities in some areas have issued traffic restrictions and banned outdoor work during the hottest part of the day. In Malta, yesterday saw temperatures soar to a sweltering 38ºC, with an apparent temperature of 44ºC.