The violent hailstorm that hit part of the Basque Country on Tuesday caused a “catastrophe” for Espelette pepper producers, who lost a good part of their annual harvest “in ten minutes,” according to the authorities.
Among them, the president of the AOC Panpi Olaizola, in charge of a 20-hectare farm, including a pepper farm that was left in very poor condition. “If the remaining leaves are recovered, we will produce half of what was planned, but I have very, very little hope,” he told AFP. “I’ve lost everything, honestly, it’s like losing someone close to me.”
“The Trees Are Shredded”
In his operation, he testifies, “you have to change the roofs of the buildings, the hay for this winter is lost, the trees are crushed and I even have the sheep and lambs that are still completely rattled. We had diversified to have several strings on our bow but they are all broken.”
The blow is even harder for these producers of the only French spice in AOP who hoped to recover this year from a previous harvest disturbed by drought, with “15% less production”, says Maialen Sarraude.
The storms particularly affected the municipalities of Espelette, Itxassou, Cambo-les-Bains and Hasparren, covering the ground with large hailstones and causing localized flooding according to spectacular images broadcast on social networks. It also caused damage in the Landes, the Gers and the Tarn-et-Garonne, where trees fell on roads and thousands of homes lost electricity.
Source: BFM TV
