“There was some damage, but nothing too serious. The agricultural sector in the western Algarve ended up being the most affected, with damage to facilities,” Diana Ferreira, vice-president of the Algarve Agriculture Federation (Fedagri) told Lusa.

According to the representative of the Algarve Citrus Operators Association (AlgarOrange), the weather conditions had “some impact on the orchards, with an estimated 30% of production being affected”.

However, she explained, Storm Martinho had a “greater impact” on agricultural farms in the windward region, “mainly on livestock producers, with no significant damage to facilities, sheds and animal drinking troughs”.

“There was some fruit falling in the orchards, which is normal with the wind and heavier rain, and there are situations of rot caused by the increased presence of fungi,” noted the person in charge.

According to Diana Ferreira, “these are situations that are controllable, with treatments and by selecting fruit from fruit centers that are not in a condition to reach the final consumer.”

Diana Ferreira assured that the information gathered from producers “is that there are no large losses associated with the bad weather over the last week”.

For the vice-president of Fedagri, although the bad weather has affected agriculture, “the balance ends up being more positive than negative, taking into account the lack of water that existed as a result of the drought in recent years”.

“This rain was very welcome and we have to see positive aspects from this, as we really needed water to replenish the dams and recharge our aquifers,” she highlighted.

According to data released by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), between 18 and 24 March, there was an increase from 78% to 84% (6%) of water stored in the six reservoirs that support the public supply and agriculture of the Algarve.

For Diana Ferreira, “there is the notion of water from the dams, but it is also necessary to know what the impact of the rain was on groundwater”, stressing that 60% of agriculture in the Algarve depends on this water.

“In addition to agriculture, there is also a large population, mainly in the interior and the Algarve Barrocal, that depend on groundwater,” she highlighted.

The person in charge considers that “it is essential” that the APA also discloses data relating to groundwater, because this is “a key point that cannot be forgotten”.