This week’s rainfall has been welcomed by farmers as a relief from the scorching summer temperatures but they are less happy with the flash flooding that occurred, which has eroded precious soil and damaged some of the crops.

“Rain is always a good thing but flash flooding is not since it does not allow soil the time to absorb the water and this leads to soil erosion and the loss of some crops,” Malcolm Borg, coordinator of the farmers’ lobby Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi, said yesterday.

“So, on the one hand, the rain replenished groundwater but, on the other, it took away some of the soil,” he noted.

Heavy August showers hit the island in the middle of the week, causing flooding in several localities. The downpours came slightly earlier than usual, normally occurring towards September.

While August showers are expected, it was the flooding that was not- Malcolm Borg, coordinator of Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi

While August showers are expected, it was the flooding that was not.

Borg said the rain would have allowed farmers to top up reservoirs. However, some farmers lost crops to the rain.

The wet weather would have had an impact on onions, which are harvested at this time of year and left out to dry. Their shelf life will be affected now, Borg said.

As for the tomato harvest, the crop in particular was hit by June’s heatwave and the rain has broken the drought.

Last year, after three summer heatwaves, tomato farmers estimated they had lost a third of their crop. The heat also impacted the grape harvest, with losses estimated to be a quarter of the yield.

“Tomatoes can take the heat but heatwaves – which can last a week – are too much even for this plant. The yield has been low this year, too,” Borg said.