Mallorca's apricot blossom suffers in winter heat

In Porreres, Mallorca, winter heat disrupts apricot blossom: it is one of the climate-related problems pushing up costs for farmers across the Balearic Islands, an agricultural engineer says. Andreu Vila raises the problem in the Balearic Parliament on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, and calls for a plan drawn up by the farming sector itself. He also points to a bacterium in olive groves on Ibiza and pests in vineyards.

Protecting crops costs more

Vila links the crop problems mainly to water shortages and increasingly extreme temperatures. Farmers try to cool the soil and put up nets to keep pests from destroying their harvests. They also carry out up to ten bacterial screenings to check crop quality. Each measure adds to their costs, he says.

The bacterium he identifies in Ibiza’s olive groves is Xylella fastidiosa. In Porreres, he says, high winter temperatures cause apricot blossoms to fail.

A plan for water and young farmers

Vila wants farmers to shape a plan covering water, energy and the next generation entering agriculture, with the authorities helping to put it into practice. When rain falls, he says, more water should stay on the islands instead of running into the sea. Roots and newly planted trees could help hold it back, while suitable collection points should be identified.

Young farmers see poor returns and put more weight on working conditions, Vila says. Machinery and better-organised work could make farming more attractive to them. He also wants farms to cut their reliance on fossil fuels, but says airports and tourism must face the same demand.

Topics: Agriculture · Environment · Porreres

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com