This follows from the first estimates of fruit growers. According to the chairman of the Fruit Union, Martin Ludvík, this is one of the biggest damages to the domestic harvest in the last hundred years. Growers warn that due to the weather, the situation may worsen in Moravia, where about 50 percent of the crop is damaged.
“We are now actually facing a year and a half of expenses without any income. It’s really fatal for us,” said SAD agronomist Pavel Kašpárek. He added that the company’s long-term business risk has been spread over, for example, the cultivation of various fruit species. The trees are in different locations with different altitudes, but this year due to the weather, the crop is destroyed across the board. This applies to cherries, sour cherries, apples and pears. The company has orchards in the vicinity of Daminevsi in Mělnick.
The Ministry of Agriculture will launch a program with the help of 70 to 100 million crowns for fruit growers, its amount will be specified later. Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL) and Martin Ludvík told journalists in Daminevsi.
“Some businesses don’t harvest at all”. Night frost destroys Czech fruit
The damage is so fundamental also due to the fact that in the previous weeks the weather was above average and the plants were significantly ahead of the normal situation in terms of flowering and fruit growth.
“In addition to direct assistance through the risk program, we will also look for ways of operating support and loans,” said Výborný. In addition to ensuring the care of the orchards, fruit growers need money to keep employees, even if they will not have revenue from fruit sales this year.
