01.06.2021

Canada - Devastating late spring frost kills large swaths of fruit crops[:ru]Cana

Some Ottawa area farmers say there will be no bouncing back from a recent frost that has wiped out large portions of their crops. Ann Marie Rochon and her husband own Rochon Garden in the city's rural southeast end, where they grow a variety of produce, including strawberries which are their "biggest sellers." Rochon said they were expecting a little frost between Thursday and Monday, even though the forecast only predicted a low of four degrees. They used an irrigating technique on their nearly 6.5 hectares of strawberry fields for at least four nights to try and protect the crop. When her husband went to check on the plants Monday morning, much of their other produce remained "unscathed" but about 80 per cent of their strawberry crop had blackened flowers, a sign they were frostbitten. "We had anticipated this, but not to this scale," said Rochon. "It was devastating. It really, it hurt a lot ... To have that 80 per cent decimated in, you know, a few nights, that really hits." Because of the damage, Rochon said she won't be able to open the farm for public strawberry picking, a loss she estimates to be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Vineyard also hit "We knew there was a danger," said winemaker Richard Deslandes of Green Gables Vines Winery, a two-hectare winery in Oxford Station, Ont., south of Ottawa. He said grapes are meant to survive spring frosts, but with recent summer-like temperatures, the crop bloomed earlier than usual, making it susceptible to damage. "That's part of the business, right? You get some great years and you get some not so great years," he said. While there are some things the winery could have done to protect the crop, Deslandes said it's a small operation with limited staff and buying equipment to protect the grapes would be a huge financial investment. Deslandes said he's thankful the winery is a side project but the frost has still cost the business tens of thousands of dollars in lost profits. It also means his team will have to buy grapes from the Niagara region to make up for lost supply. Source - https://www.cbc.ca

01.06.2021

France - Lower 2021 harvest for strawberries

The French Ministry of Agriculture’s statistics service, Agreste, has published a note on the strawberry situation. “According to the first estimates as of May 1st, 2021, the surface area of strawberry crops for the 2021 campaign is 3,400 ha, which is 1% less than last year but 1% more than the 2016-2020 average. The annual national production (56,000 tons) is 4% lower than last year and 3% lower than the 5-year average. The strawberry plants showed a globally satisfactory development until March, except for the Paca region penalized by insufficient light. The frost episode in early April has caused delays in some areas and losses in production potential, although difficult to estimate. The demand has been good since the beginning of the campaign. With an offer that is still limited, strawberry prices in March 2021 were higher than in 2020 and the 5-year average. In April, prices remained firm, higher by 10% than in 2020 and 20% compared to the average of the past 5 years.” Harvest impacted by the April frost “According to the first estimates as of May 1st, 2021, the 2021 national strawberry surfaces are 3,380 ha, which is 1% less than last year but 1% more than the 5-year average. The 2021 strawberry production has reached 55,868 tons, which is 4% less than in 2019 and 3% less than the 2016-2020 average. The severe frost episodes from early April have impacted several sectors significantly, resulting in lower yields and slower productions. The losses, difficult to predict at this stage, are estimated at about 10 to 50% in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and 5 to 30% in the Centre-Loire-Valley. The extent of the damage varies greatly depending on the area, variety, progress of the crops and orientation of tunnel installations.” Marketing: good start of the 2021 campaign “Contrary to the difficult start of the 2020 campaign due to the lockdown, the marketing of the first strawberries is taking place in better conditions this year. The demand has been good from the start and the market is promising overall. From March already, prices were higher than in 2020 and the 5-year average. With an offer that is still limited and a decrease in imports, prices remained firm in April (10% more than last year and 20% more than the 2016-2020 average) despite the lower temperatures at the beginning of the month, not so favorable for the consumption of this spring product.” From January to March 2021, imports (16,900 tons) decreased by 6% and exports (4,000 tons) by 5%, compared to last year. The trade deficit (-12,900 tons) is down by 7% cumulatively from January to March, compared to 2020. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

01.06.2021

India - Dearth of monsoon trough causes deficit in pre-monsoon rains

Except Sikkim and Meghalaya, the six remaining northeastern states experienced deficit pre-monsoon rains due to lack of rain bearing clouds, water vapour and monsoon trough from the Bay of Bengal, experts and weather scientists said. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), during the three-month long pre-monsoon period (March-May), Mizoram witnessed large rainfall deficiency of 67 per cent followed by Tripura (59 per cent), Nagaland (44 per cent), Assam (40 per cent), Manipur (37 per cent) and Arunachal Pradesh (27 per cent). Sikkim experienced excess rainfall of 36 per cent during the pre-monsoon period, while Meghalaya though observed nine per cent shortage of rainfall, as per the IMD norms, it is categorised as normal. IMD Tripura Director Dilip Saha said that the winds were not favourable for the expected pre-monsoon rainfall. "We need southerly winds for rain. The northeastern region-centric rain producing weather conditions and rain bearing clouds did not develop adequately, causing deficient rainfall in the pre-monsoon period. However, we expect normal rainfall during the monsoon," Saha told IANS. The northeastern region comprising Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura normally witnesses normal or heavy rainfall during the four months of the southwest monsoon - June to September. According to the IMD, the monsoon onset over Kerala is likely to take place on Thursday. "If the southwest monsoon starts in Kerala on June 3, it would take another 5-6 days for it to arrive in the northeastern region," the senior IMD official said. According to IMD records, Assam, which gets devastated badly by floods every year between June and September, recorded 327.6 mm rainfall during the pre-monsoon period (March-May) against the expected 543.6 mm. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), at least 122 people were killed in 22 districts in the devastating floods last year, while 26 others were killed in landslides. Last year's floods affected around 60 lakh people in 5,378 villages in 30 of the state's 34 districts. Agriculture experts said that at the moment there is no major threat to Kharif crops as irrigation facilities are more or less active in most parts of the northeastern region. However, the Assam tea industry apprehends that the prolonged drought-like situation might cause a crop deficit from January to May this year, amounting to about 40 per cent, over the same period in 2019. North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) adviser Bidyananda Barkakoty, citing a recent study, said that due to the protracted drought-like situation, the crop deficit from January to May this year would be about 60 million kg, compared to the same period in 2019. "We have not compared crop figures with 2020 because last year the crop deficit from January to May was 78 million kg due to the Covid-induced lockdown. In percentage terms, the crop deficit from January to May this year would be about 40 per cent compared to the same period in 2019," Barkakoty said. He said the average rainfall deficit is about 45 per cent from January to April this year compared to the same period last year in Assam's two main tea growing districts - Golaghat to Tinsukia. He said that nowadays rainfall is highly localised and there is a difference in the quantum of rainfall within a few kilometres. Assam, which roughly accounts for 55 per cent of India's total tea production of 1,389.70 million kg, has 856 large tea gardens and over a lakh small tea growers, engaging around 10 lakh workers in this industry. Source - https://www.business-standard.com

31.05.2021

Moldova - Low cherry harvest for second year in a row

According to industry experts, the 2021 harvest of many varieties of cherries may be approximately at the level of the ‘bad last year’. According to estimates, the harvest of cherries in Moldova amounted to only about 11,000 tons in 2020. It was almost twice as high in the best years of the five-year period: in 2019 – 20,000 tons, in 2018 and 2015 – 19,000 tons each. Fears of producers regarding the future cherry harvest appeared during the pollination period when there were unfavorable weather conditions everywhere in Moldova: either too cool, rainy, or windy. However, farmers counted on at least a high yield for self-pollinated cherry varieties (their share in the structure of cherry orchards is around a third). As early cherries will soon be available on the Moldovan market – according to farmers, it will happen at the end of the first week of June – the situation is less likely to improve. Orchards of self-pollinated and late varieties of cherries suffer because of daily rains. In the opinion of producers, even anti-rain films do not provide enough protection. The air humidity is still high, but there is not enough sunlight and heat. This is reflected in the mood of agricultural producers. The prevailing opinion is that both the quantity and quality of cherries harvest will decline sharply. Farmers who are hoping to get a medium to high quality produce claim that they will try to sell it to the EU market at the beginning of the season. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

31.05.2021

South Africa - Biological invasions 3rd biggest threat to biodiversity[:ru]South Africa. -

Biological invasions are the third-largest threat to South Africa's biodiversity, after cultivation and land degradation, and are responsible for 25 percent of all biodiversity loss, said a report released by the Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries and Environmental Affairs on Friday. Minister Barbara Creecy said the report, titled "Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa in 2019", found that the number of alien plant species in South Africa has increased by 15 percent, from 1,637 to 1,880, about a third of which are invasive. The invasive trees use up 3-5 percent of South Africa's surface water runoff each year, a serious problem in an already water-scarce country that is increasingly prone to drought. She stated that biological invasions affect biodiversity, economy, human health and well-being, and sustainable development in the country. "Current estimates suggest the ecological costs of invasive alien plants and animals to be more than R6.5 billion (over 473 million U.S. dollars) each year. The main costs associated with losses are a decline in ecosystem services such as water and grazing and agriculture crop loss as a result of invasive pests," said Creecy. She said if biological invasions on grazing land are not controlled, South Africa could lose up to 70 percent of this valuable natural asset. Source - http://www.xinhuanet.com

31.05.2021

India - Former minister visits rain affected areas to assess crop loss

Former cabinet minister Archana Chitnis visited areas affected by rain and storm in the district on Sunday to assess the losses of farmers. She met farmers, villagers and visited their farms to assess crop loss. Chitnis then took up the matter with officials concerned as she assured farmers to do everything possible to compensate for the loss. She said farmers should get compensation at the earliest after surveys. Chitnis visited Fofnar, Baradoli, Andhari, Gurada, Badsingi, Pipri, Sangrampur. She also visited Nepanagar assembly constituency areas like Ambada, Hingna-Tandali, Linga, Nevari-Deori, Nasirabad, Bori, Basad, Nimna. The banana crop has been damaged the most. The trees fell and thatches of houses, tin sheds were blown away. Electricity poles and supply lines have fallen too. Chitnis also sent a letter to collector asking him to form teams for survey of kharif crops affected by natural calamity. As a result of this, survey teams reached fields in the morning and met farmers to assess the losses. Public representatives, officials, farmers and villagers were present on the occasion with Chitnis. Source - https://www.freepressjournal.in

31.05.2021

USA - Texas farmers facing challenges as wet conditions begin to degrade crop quality

The abundance of rainfall in the recent weeks has delivered missed results for crop producers and various regions of the Lone Star State. Much of the state received multiple inches of rain from multiple storm systems in April and May and for some, the rain was a blessing while for others it was a curse. In areas of western Texas such as the south plains and the panhandle, the rainfall was much needed for producers of crops such as cotton. "There's areas where we don't need any more rain right now it needs to dry up and the farther west we go folks are not tired of it yet we don't have too much to deal with yet I mean it's certainly possible but at this point, we're doing much better as a result of this recent rain." shared Reagan Noland, assistant professor & extension agronomist for Texas A&M. Meanwhile, producers of winter wheat and winter small grains are dealing with challenges right now as the wet conditions are making it hard to harvest their crops before the crops begin to degrade in quality. "In areas where there's been too much water we have a small grain crop that's still in the field in many parts of the state so winter wheat and other winter small grains but mostly wheat are standing in the fields under conditions that are too wet to harvest and that grain that's likely mature now or maturing very soon is going to degrade in quality," Noland added. Continued rainfall in June could also have potential impacts on the summer grain planting and harvesting season which includes crops such as corn which is currently in extremely high demand. Source - https://www.kxxv.com

31.05.2021

Pakistan - Sindh minister dreads water shortage may mean huge losses for Kharif crop

The government of Sindh fears if it doesn’t get its share of water it will not bode well for its cash crops: sugarcane, rice and cotton which will be at the receiving end of water shortage, the provincial minister said. Rahu added in his statement, over the acute situation ISRA faces as water levels deplete below expected in Tarbela Dam, Sindh faces up to 40 per cent water shortage and Kotri Barrage alone experiences 60 pc scarcity in water levels. At least three major Kharif crops in the commanding swathes of Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri barrages dread losses if shortage of water in the region is not addressed, Rahu noted. The sugarcane crop is already desiccating due to a shortage of water than the level it required, he said, adding that after rice, sugarcane is the second crop to need most water for growing, followed by cotton. We already planted less cotton crop than the target and that too is at risk of incurring losses, Rahu dreaded. Earlier yesterday, IRSA said it has cut down the water share of Sindh and Punjab due to an “excessive” shortage of water in the country. According to a statement released by the water allocation authority, after the reduction in water share, Punjab is getting 83,000 cusecs of water, while Sindh is being provided 74,000 cusecs of water. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by the IRSA chairman to review water distribution among provinces. Due to prevailing limited storage available in reservoirs and tumbling river inflows it was inevitable to apply cut on provincial shares, the water body said in a statement. Source - https://arynews.tv

31.05.2021

India - Stalin announces relief for crop loss due to cyclone Yaas

Pointing out that loss of lives has been avoided due to precautionary steps taken by the State government to face cyclone Yaas, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday announced compensation for the loss of standing crops and hutments damaged due to heavy rains in Kanyakumari district. The Chief Minister, in a statement here, said Rs 5,000 would be given as compensation to each of the fully damaged thatched house while Rs 4,100 would be given to each of the partially damaged thatched house in Kanyakumari district. He said Rs 20,000 per hectare would be given as input subsidy for rainfed, assured irrigated paddy crops and other assured crops. Similarly, the input subsidy for all rainfed crops (except rainfed paddy) would be Rs 10,000.  Also for perennial crops, Rs 25,000 per hectare would be given as the input subsidy. “I have directed the officials to pay the compensation amount to the affected people at the earliest,” the Chief Minister added. Stalin said due to heavy rains, there were floods in Thamirabarani, Valliyar and Pazhayar rivers resulting in increase of storage levels in Chithar I and Chithar II and Mambalathuraiyar dams.  The floods have entered residential areas and played havoc for agricultural and horticultural crops. In all, 238 thatched houses have been damaged while standing crops in 35 hectares have been damaged. As per the preliminary reports, standing agricultural and horticultural crops in 373 hectares are under flood water as of now. The Chief Minister also directed that the damages caused to the infrastructure facilities in various departments should be assessed at the earliest and a report should be sent to the government at the earliest. In Kanyakumari district, 767 persons have been given shelter in 16 relief camps and all basic amenities were provided to them. Source - https://www.newindianexpress.com

28.05.2021

Netherlands to extend €30 mln for agricultural activities in East Africa

Netherlands Development Organisation SNV plans to spend €30 million for the implementation of a climate change resilient agribusiness project in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Geoffrey Isote is the Monitoring officer for the project in Central zone. He said that the project, which started in July 2018, up to May 2023 was being implemented in Southern Highlands Zone comprising Iringa, Katavi, Mbeya and Songwe regions and in the Central Zone which consists of Dodoma and Singida regions. There, some 100,000 farmers will expected to be reached during the five-year implementation period. "Our main target is to improve the value chain in millet, Irish potatoes, sunflowers and beans. We are actually targeting the peasant, especially the low income, to move from subsistence farming to productive agriculture by increasing his/her income using a small area to harvest more crops of high quality," Isote said. Project Manager for Musoma Food Co Ltd, Mr Samson Msigwa, who is implementing the Climate Resilient Agribusiness for Tomorrow (CRAFT) project on millet in Mkalama and Manyoni districts in Singida region, said his company decided to chip in after realizing that the demand for the crop was greater than the supply from the farmers. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

28.05.2021

USA - Large hail causes extensive damage to central Kansas wheat crops

Some areas of central Kansas are seeing extensive damage to wheat crops from large hail that fell Wednesday, May 26, with slow-moving storms. As flooded fields begin to dry up, farmers in Ellsworth County spent Thursday assessing the damage from the night before. Strong winds and large hailstones flattened winter wheat fields west of Holyrood. Stems are broken and bent and the heads lay in the mud. “We’re definitely going to see some yield reduction,” said Ellsworth County farmer Craig Dinkel. Farmers near Holyrood said this is the second straight year they’re seeing hail damage about one month out from harvest. Thankfully, there’s insurance. “If their field is bad enough to where it’s not even harvestable, (they’re) possibly looking at planting a different crop, depending on what herbicide they put down,” Dinkel said. Possibly beans or grain or sorghum. But the main thing is contacting their insurance and going from there.” One farmer who spoke with Eyewitness News Thursday said some areas likely will be 100 percent losses. Source - https://www.kwch.com

28.05.2021

Ukraine - Winter onion season to start much later than last year

The Ukrainian season for winter onions will begin at least two weeks later this year than usual, analysts predict. The reason is unfavorable weather conditions in the main regions of production. As a result, the winter onion yield saw partial losses. The main reason for the later start is rainy and prolonged spring, as well as rather a cold winter. Another reason that will affect both the quality and the yield of winter onions is its planting time. Most of the Ukrainian producers, hoping to enter the market with winter onions early, began sowing winter onions on 10 August last year, which led to the partial freezing of this crop in winter. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

28.05.2021

UK - Wet and cold month of May leads to fruit crop delays

Fruit crops like strawberries and plums are expected to be up to three weeks late this year. The delay is due to the recent cold and wet weather. The berry season officially started on 1 May, but the chilly conditions have slowed down the growing process. Last year it was an exceptionally early season, with a very hot April and May. This year it's been the reverse. The strawberries of grower Rees Keene - Over Farm, in Gloucester - are also expected to be three weeks behind schedule. The wet May comes after a dry but frosty April, which put paid to some of his crops. Keene said: "It's going to delay us a bit with getting a bit of money back into the business. It's all fun and games and it's part of the challenge of farming. The long-range forecast seems to be better, we'll have showers on odd days rather than wall-to-wall heavy rain, so fingers crossed." Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

28.05.2021

Spain - The EU guarantees 141 million Posei funds for the Canarian banana until 2027

The president of the Canary Islands, Angel Victor Torres, stated in the plenary session of the regional Parliament that was held on May 25 that the Common Agricultural Policy 2021-2027 guaranteed Posei funds for the production of bananas on the islands, which means the sector will receive 141 million euro per year in aid. In addition, he added, the Ministry of Agriculture is willing to study the request of the banana sector that production costs not be linked to the Posei funds. Torres made this statement in response to a question from the spokesman for the Agrupacion Socialista Gomera Parliamentary Group, Casimiro Curbelo, regarding the progress to bring the positions of the Canary Islands banana sector closer to the central government and, specifically, that the Food Quality law takes into account their demands. Torres said that they were in permanent contact with the Ministry so that the law permits selling the Canarian banana below the cost of production at certain times. They are also holding negotiations with the EU so that Brussels takes into account that the quality of Canarian bananas is objectively superior to imported bananas and that their production costs are also different. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

28.05.2021

UK - Crop scientists call for global action to tackle £22bn wheat losses

Norwich scientists have called for urgent investment in new research tools to help them tackle global losses of wheat crops costing £22bn per year. The John Innes Centre, based on the Norwich Research Park, has urged governments around the world to fund an international research platform to reduce the impact of crop pests and diseases and to improve global food security. The proposed "R-Gene Atlas" would be a free online portal containing genetic data on wheat and its wild relatives, which could help plant breeders identify new sources of disease resistance which could then be bred into commercial varieties for farmers to grow. Globally, it is estimated that one fifth of the projected wheat yield is lost annually totalling 209m tonnes, valued at £22bn - an issue exacerbated by climate change and population growth. The aim is to provide "long-lasting molecular protection" against major wheat diseases including wheat rusts, blotch diseases, powdery mildew, and wheat blast. The researchers calculate it would cost £41m to establish the new platform, including funding 75 scientists across the world to carry out the work. This, they suggest, could be funded with £2m contributions from each G20 country, spread over five years. “Compared to the scale of the problem in yield losses to pests and pathogens, this represents excellent value for money," said JIC researcher Amber Hafeez, first author of an article detailing the proposals in science journal Molecular Plant. She added: "It is unsustainable to continue feeding 20pc of our wheat production to pathogens." JIC group leader Dr Brande Wulff said an international consortium was needed to allow the project to draw upon existing expertise and resources. “A lot of the pieces of the puzzle already exist, the idea is to bring them together to make sure we don't duplicate efforts," he said. “Current projections suggest there will be 2.1bn more people to feed by 2050 and developing disease-resistant crops will be a key part of sustainably feeding us all. "We’re determined to develop new ways to increase our genetic understanding and deploy it for the benefit of sustainable agriculture, but we cannot do this without investment. “We are urging the G20 governments to invest in the consortium, which will bring disease resistance genes from lab to field at a scale and speed needed to deal with the current crisis.” Source - https://www.edp24.co.uk

27.05.2021

Ireland - Heavy rain and hail disrupts crops

All over Europe the weather has been unseasonal for the last couple of months, cold and dry in April and then very wet throughout May. Ireland has been no exception, with 64mm of rain falling in four days last week and before that localised but very severe hail. “We lost 10 hectares of crops, mainly spinach and baby leaf,” said Stephen McCormack from McCormack Family farms in Co. Meath. “It was bad but very localised and our other farms were all fine, so I was relieved.” McCormacks got off to a good start and started sowing in February, which is earlier than normal and March continued to be settled. April was cold and dry with night frosts down to -4 °C and they were having to irrigate the new crops but managed to get well ahead with planting. “The cold slowed growth a bit but didn’t do any damage We were glad to get rain in May but 64mm in 4 days has meant we couldn’t get any planning done at all. Today has been the first dry day since 12th May. After 10th May we don’t usually have to worry about hail anymore but this year it came late in the season.” The weather is set improve with temperatures of around 20 °C this weekend so the crop growth and planting should catch up. Before the pandemic McCormacks was heavily reliant on the hospitality sector, but last year they diversified and launched a couple lines for the retailers and now supply many of the retailers in Ireland. “The retails sales have been good but are slightly down due to the weather, people are waiting for the BBQ season. Although spinach sales remain high.” The hospitality sector should reopen on 7th June for outdoor dining, it will still be limited but Stephen expects that is will affect retail sales and they have a few instore promotions planned. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com