The effects of climate change are mainly felt in meteorology. In Catalonia, this translates into extremely hot summers, much longer than usual, and very extensive periods of drought. For farmers, moreover, it also means a direct impact on their professional activity, caused by the almost absolute absence of rainfall and increasingly high and sustained temperature peaks.
This is the case, for example, of citrus producers, whose production is expected to be 5,754 million tons. This is 0.4% more than the previous year, but 14.4% less than the average of recent seasons and the second worst campaign in eleven years in Spain. "Although we expect the drought to affect us less than other regions, since the Terres de l'Ebre will be one of the places where droughts and water shortages will be least noticed, we also have to adapt," explains Oscar Navarro, director of Explotacions Agrícoles Oscar Navarro. In this context, this company based in Amposta (Montsià), has acquired a farm to produce citrus sustainably. To carry out the investment, the company has had the support of the Institut Català de Finances (ICF).
The acquisition and commissioning of this farm is part of an international project called Zitrus. It is an international initiative sponsored by the WWF ---a non-governmental organization dedicated to environmental conservation--- that began in the Doñana area. The program seeks to produce citrus more sustainably, based on the reduction of water, pesticides and the conservation of biodiversity. The German retail giant Edeka also participates in the project.
The commitment to sustainability and the scarcity of rain in other areas of the Iberian Peninsula are, in fact, opportunities for the business of farmers in Terres de l'Ebre. "The lack of water, problems with pesticides and pollution in different areas such as Doñana or the Mar Menor can be an opportunity," says Navarro. The businessman also highlights that a lot of citrus is produced in this region of Catalonia ---although "in the vast majority of the territory, this is unknown"--- especially clemenules (a variety of mandarin) that are produced in the months of November and December.
The origins of Explotacions Agrícolas Oscar Navarro go back to the father of the current director. The founder of the company was a fruit exporter, and the supermarket chains themselves encouraged him to take the step of also growing the product. Navarro bought a warehouse to handle and package the fruit and, in a short time, acquired farms to also cover agricultural activity. Currently, the family business manages 212 hectares of crops, including citrus and vegetables, and its main market is Germany, although it also has a presence in Holland, France, Norway, England, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Austria.
ICF support for farmers
Since last autumn, the ICF, in collaboration with the Department of Climate Action, has formalized nearly 1,300 financing operations for an amount of 77.5 million euros through the line ICF Agroliquiditat. These credits are aimed at self-employed workers and agricultural and agri-food companies to mitigate the effects of the increase in the price of raw materials and fuels, as well as the consequences of climate change. The line has subsidized interest rates from the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda.The regions of Lleida, with 56%, and, in second place, Terres de l'Ebre, with 12%, are the territories that concentrate the majority of operations. As for the type of activity, stone fruit cultivation and cereal are those that have received the most loans. A few months ago, the financing line was expanded by 20 million.