The climate does not give up in the productive regions of the country. The late frosts that fell across much of the country on October 31 and November 1 wreaked havoc in various parts of the country, adding to the drought that has occurred in recent months.
and the manufacturer Luca Niveen, which he produces with his family, he immediately did it himself on his farm located in eastern Mendoza, where most of the province’s vineyard is located.
As he said Rural trumpet, has lost 90% of the 30 hectares of vineyards. In addition, he has interested in other alternative productions that he has on his farm of olive trees, quinces, peaches and plums. At the time, he estimated that of the 30 hectares he produces, they would only carry 4 trucks of grapes when they normally take 30.
but this Thursday a pile of stones He finished destroying the vine that remained standing with total production losses. “For oblivion,” condemned Lucas about the year coming without production. “There hasn’t been hail like this since 2005,” he added.
Lucas stressed that they do not have insurance because “the numbers are so good that you risk the maximum to have profitability”.
“Now some of our wine lines will be affected. We will have to try to buy grapes from producers who have not been affected by frost or hail. Plus, there is still a long final sprint for the harvest,” he analyzed. the possibilities.
Lucas is 38 years old and his entire life has been devoted to viticulture. His grandmother started with the production of vineyards on 150 hectares, but assured that Argentina is not an easy country for producers and that they have reduced the surface to the current 30 hectares because “we have suffered economic and climatic crises”.
“Our business is an added value, we produce raw material, transform it into wine and export added value. It gives a lot of work, there is a lot of work. And tourism and gastronomy live on viticulture”, he described.
“It is a painful activity because we depend on time”, he analyzed. And she recalled that they had unexpected severe frosts but not as significant as the one in the last few days. “In 1992 there was a very strong frost that we lost everything” “We have always been in the vineyard, I don’t know how to do anything else”, she closed.
The frosts
“Not only do we suffer from the frosts in the area, but there are 20,000 additional hectares affected in this area,” Lucas said of the October 31 frosts.
The outrage of the producer is against the General Department of Irrigation, which provides water to irrigate crops for producers. “They didn’t want to give up water knowing that a very strong frost front was coming. The ground hadn’t been watered in a long time, so it was very dry. And since there wasn’t a lot of humidity, the frosts affected her even more, “she explained.
And on top of that, the agency gave him water the day after the inclement weather when the vine was already burned.
“If they had provided us with water for irrigation in advance, the damage would not have been of the same magnitude and these damages could have been avoided and we would no longer touch the pockets of Argentines for subsidies and soft loans,” he remarked. the announcements of the Minister of Economy, Serge Massawhich announced the aid for the producers concerned.
“We will not have raw materials for the wines, which is why the market is complicated. There will be little raw material available. And the big wineries are stronger to negotiate. This year will be a war for the demand for grapes. Low supply and high. demand and the big ones always win.
Source: Clarin
