The countryside has borne the brunt of Storm Dorothea’s passage through the Islands, particularly experiencing severe impacts in Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro, and La Palma. Although it is still premature to provide a comprehensive assessment of the situation, initial estimates suggest that the crops most affected include avocado, banana, potato, and various tropical varieties such as mango and pineapple from El Hierro.
For avocados, which are currently in full production, the strong winds have dashed the hopes of farmers in Tenerife. Approximately half of the output from around 500 hectares of this crop, predominantly located from Los Realejos to La Laguna—where the majority of these orchards are situated—has been compromised.
In these plantations, the wind did not only result in fruits being blown to the ground; it also caused damage to the skin of the avocados that managed to remain on the trees, rendering them unmarketable as well.
This information is part of the preliminary assessments provided by the Association of Farmers and Ranchers of the Canary Islands (Asaga Canarias Asaja), which has gathered insights from producers, technicians, cooperative leaders, and agricultural enterprises across Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro, and La Palma. Although they cannot yet quantify the exact losses, they describe the situation as exhibiting “a trail of damage.”
While Asaga acknowledges that the data shared is in its initial stages, they caution that final assessments by agricultural experts to estimate the losses are expected to present a lower figure than reality.
Narvay Quintero, the regional advisor for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food Sovereignty, stated yesterday that about 10,000 agricultural plots across the four islands of the province have been impacted, with La Gomera and El Hierro suffering particularly severe consequences, in addition to regions in the west of La Palma, northern Tenerife, Adeje, Guía de Isora, and Santiago del Teide. These figures remain very provisional and will need to be confirmed in the days to come. Narvay Quintero highlighted that insurance companies and local councils have been asked to compile relevant damage reports to facilitate necessary actions.
Farmers have noted that first impressions indicate that plots may have suffered partial or complete crop loss. “In Tenerife, for instance, the banana plantations between Los Realejos and La Laguna (Punta de Hidalgo), along with those in Adeje and Guía de Isora, have endured the worst impacts. Signs of damage include broken leaves, fractured stems, plant collapses, and production unable to reach market. The anticipated damage rate is around 30%,” they report.
Regarding potatoes, Asaga mentions that some fields intended for harvest in the coming weeks in north Tenerife are completely stripped of foliage. Farmers hesitate to estimate the overall impact on these crops until harvesting occurs. Damage has also been reported in agricultural infrastructure, including breaks in greenhouse plastics, collapsed walls, and ruptured water channels in the northern region of the island.
In La Gomera, the Cabildo has reported significant disturbances in Agulo, Hermigua, Valle Gran Rey, and La Dama, with roughly thirty plots linked to the CAI Gomera cooperative suffering extensive damage from those municipalities.
On La Palma, the western part of the island has endured the most damage, with banana and avocado crops being particularly affected. Producers on the island are also expressing concerns over the consequences of ash, which has been stirred up by the wind.
In El Hierro, the banana, tropical pineapple, avocado, and mango crops have recorded significant damage. David Cabrera, the adviser for Rural and Marine Affairs, indicates that the hardest hit area was the El Golfo valley, where wind gusts reached speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour, causing harm not only to the fruit but also to greenhouses.
