Farmers are bracing themselves for disaster unless there is a dramatic change in weather as the dry spell stretches their resources to the limit and threatens the harvest.
A meagre 187.5mm of rain has fallen since September 1, which is little more than half the norm for the last four months of the year. In contrast, this time last year total rainfall had already exceeded the 300mm mark.
“The situation is fast becoming desperate and unless, by some miracle, we get a minimum of 250mm of rain by the end of next month we could be facing a severe shortage of fruit and vegetables in spring and autumn. However, a deluge would be of little help because most of the rain would be washed down to the sea instead of being absorbed by the soil,” a very concerned Mġarr farmer, who preferred not to be named, told this newspaper.
He pointed out that precipitation in the western part of the island, where there was the largest concentration of agricultural land, was even lower, with some 150mm of rain.
“The sight of big tractors ploughing the fields at this time of the year is not normal because, usually, the soil would be too damp to make such activity possible,” he added.
His warning was echoed by John Gauci, president of the Farmers’ Central Cooperative, who described this year as being one of the driest in the last two decades.
Noting that farmers were coping with the situation by irrigating their crops even in winter, he said the continuous pumping of water from boreholes would eventually start taking its toll on the quality of produce.
We could be facing a severe shortage of fruit and vegetables in spring and autumn
“In the absence of rainfall, it will mean a higher salt content in the water table, which will negatively impact both the crops and the chemical balance in the soil,” he warned.
“Also, the fact that the weather is relatively warm for this time of year, things could become even more complicated because it may result in the spreading of certain diseases,” he said.
Mr Gauci noted that the cold snap that normally occurred sometime between mid-December and January was crucial because it would serve to kill any pests and diseases that would otherwise wreak havoc in the following spring.
“Unfortunately, the unusual mild climate is accelerating the maturation of certain crops like cauliflowers. If the situation persists it could also disrupt the normal cycle because fruit trees start blooming in February, and again in spring, which would result in a very bad harvest,” he said.
Mild climate means crops mature early
In addition, low precipitation would put more strain on the water table and badly affect certain fruit species like melons, water melons and cherry plum, which required constant watering, Mr Gauci noted.
The Mġarr farmer added another warning, this time related to the bee population, which, he said, was very low.
Farmers are hoping the next few weeks will bring about much-needed rain. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina“The exceptionally dry spell has hit hard the local bee population because bees have very few wild flowers where to pollinate and this could spell disaster come next spring as their role is crucial in the ecological chain,” he said.
“Normally, certain common species, like cape sorrel [commonly known in Maltese as qarsu or ħaxixa Ingliża] thrive in winter but this year they are quite hard to spot,” he said.
Other farmers also referred to the erratic weather patterns with intense summers characterised by occasional freak storms, which were then followed by mild winters. “The lifetime of the plastic greenhouse covering is getting shorter year after year as it is no match for the intense ultraviolet rays that are decimating them quicker,” one noted.
“Anybody still doubting the effects of climate change must be living on another planet,” one worried farmer remarked.