Agroinsurance

USA - Berry growers work with new solutions to fight crop loss

Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc.today announced that the Company has tripled its sales commitments among blueberry growers in the US Midwest, signing nine growers, including three of the largest berry producers in the region. BVT is also launching two R&D demonstration trials in Michigan. Michigan, the main blueberry growing state in the US Midwest, is following the same sales adoption pattern that BVT has experienced in Georgia. In Georgia the initial two years saw increasing levels of interest and market adoption through establishment of a solid foundation with key customers, followed by increased acreage as the experience and word of mouth spread. This was followed by rapid accelerated growth in the third year with 100% customer retention together with a doubling of revenue through acquisition of new customers. “We now have secured the foundation in Michigan from where we expect to grow along the same path as we paved in Georgia,” said Ashish Malik, CEO of Bee Vectoring Technologies. “More importantly we have now significantly increased our customer base in key US markets, including the Southeast and the Midwest, and continue to make good inroads in the Pacific Northwest and California. We anticipate this strong momentum to continue in lead up to and through this year’s growing season and look forward to announcing more news soon in other US regions.” At 90,000 acres, the US blueberry market represents about a third of the 270,000 acre global market. Michigan has 20,000 acres, with a bloom period that starts in May, and harvesting from late June through October. Blueberry growers in the Midwest are particularly impacted by Anthracnose fruit rot caused by the fungus Colletotrichum acutatum. It can lead to substantial economic loss through reduced yield, shelf life and fruit quality, with reported preharvest fruit losses of 10 to 20% and postharvest losses of up to 100%. It can also cause unacceptably high microbial counts in frozen fruit. “Anthracnose can be mitigated through chemicals but not rectified altogether,” said Ian Collinson, Sales Manager at Bee Vectoring Technologies. “Midwest growers use the BVT system to combat Anthracnose, reduce early fruit drop, and cut down on chemical pesticide spray intervals and intensity. Large growers looking for new solutions have been especially keen to try the BVT system with its totally organic approach and zero residue.” These growers will use BVT’s proprietary Vectorite with CR-7 (Clonostachys rosea CR-7) (CR-7) biological fungicide and natural precision agriculture system in the upcoming growing season on about 170 of their approximately 3,000 overall blueberry acres under production. Based on common practice and the actions of previous growers trialing the system, the Company expects these growers will add BVT on increased acreage across their operations in the coming two to three seasons based on positive results. Source - https://www.hortidaily.com

France - Producers have lost almost their entire harvest

With the frost episodes from last week, French producers have suffered heavy losses. Theo Kampschoer of Kampexport looks back on this complicated week. Heavy losses In the upper Rhône valley near Tain-l’Hermitage, in Ardèche and in the region of Mercurol, temperatures went down to -4°C, causing considerable damage. “The lucky ones will be left with about 20% of their harvest, but most producers have lost almost their entire harvest,” explains Theo Kampschoer. For some producers near the Luberon, in Malaucène for example, the losses reach 50%. “The fruit are ruined. For a few producers, it is the fifth year in a row like this. Some will even have to quit completely.” The Vaucluse was not spared either by the freezing temperatures. “In the flat areas, between the mountains and in the valleys is where there is the most frost. It got so cold that using fans did not change a thing. As for those using the sprinkler technique, with the frost, the fruit ended up covered with a 4cm layer of ice.” “In some areas, and near Perpignan especially, the losses will amount to 20%, but higher up, it will reach almost 100%.” Price increase to be expected For the producers working with Kampexport, the harvest should reach 30 to 50% for the luckiest ones. “With the lack of fruit, prices will be higher, especially since Italy and Spain are faced with the same problems. In Lleida, nearly half of the harvest is destroyed. Overall in Europe, it is a very bad year for fruit.” Exceptionally low temperatures The apricot sector was particularly hit, but cherries, apples and pears are also affected. “It is a very difficult year for the apricot. The cherry is also affected, as well as the apple and the pear, in Lot-et-Garonne for example. This year will be remembered and compared to 2003. In the vineyards, some had not seen anything like that for nearly three generations.” Despite all the methods used to fight against the frost, “as soon as it drops below -2°C, it gets very complicated. Unfortunately, not much can be done. In the Crau region for example, such temperatures had not been experienced for 80 years.” Earlier productions “The climate has changed a lot. Twenty years ago, the season would start around mid-July. Nowadays, it starts around mid-May. The risks are increased with all those varieties that make an earlier start,” explains Theo Kampschoer. “Some had even started thinning already in order to get bigger fruit.” Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

Italy - Almond groves affected by frost

Almond groves all over the peninsula have been heavily affected by the late frost of the past few days. "It is too painful to visit the groves. I do not know if there will be anything left to harvest, as fruits are dropping every day. The external part of the fruits has changed color while the inside, which was still 'jelly-like' and full of water, froze completely. It was supposed to be a record campaign due to the lovely blossoming and extraordinary setting," reported Domenico Casamassima, a producer from Castellaneta (Taranto). "The straw bales were not enough, as the temperature remained below zero for at least two hours. My produce was damaged last year as well, but the percentage did not reach 15%, while this time I will have to add a few more dozens to that figure." Giuseppe De Nittis, a producer from the Foggia province, reports a similar situation. "I lost almost 5 hectares of almonds, the damage was total. The young grove was supposed to guarantee at least 2kg of fruits per plant this year. It keeps on happening, especially well into spring. I wanted to plant another 9 hectares, while now I am considering whether to uproot what I have." Lazio and Tuscany were also heavily affected. Sergio Marcoaldi from the C.O.P.A. cooperative which gathers over 20 almond growers from north Lazio and south Maremma (240 hectares in total), reports that "the produce will definitely lack this season. We are only left with 20%. Temperatures dropped to -5.5°C, and even reached -6°C in some areas. Before the frost, we were expecting yields of as much as 10 kg/plant for the older orchards." Bad news are coming in from Basilicata as well, although dried fruit cultivation only started to become popular in the region 2/3 years ago, so there are fewer groves. Gianluca Petrocelli from Montalbano Jonico (Matera) explains that "those fruitlets that had started to appear in young orchards managed with new techniques are lost, although plants show no damage. The percentage of affected plants is high also in traditional groves." Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

Italy - Tomato production threatened by TBRFV

The annual production of tomatoes in Italy, including greenhouse and open field productions, exceeds on average 1,000,000 tons from the almost 25,000 hectares a year cultivated between 2016 and 2020. With the exception of a few hectares located in high-tech greenhouses in the north of the country, most of the greenhouse production of table tomatoes occurs in Sicily and, more precisely, in the coastal area between the Agrigento and Syracuse provinces. The Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus keeps affecting not only Sicilian productions as the disease, identified in Israel and Jordan in 2014/2015, has become global. In Sicily, the problem manifested in the fall of 2018 and, in the meantime, some companies registered losses of almost 40%. But what has happened in the past few years? From what emerged during a recent convention on the issue, "it seems there was no alert as regards the possible introduction of the Tobamovirus to Italy. No effective and speedy detection method was available in 2018 and no effective tracking method was provided. At the moment, approximately 45% of companies with protected crops report Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus infections." In the meantime, Sicilian producers are learning to manage the problem, albeit with great difficulty, by perfecting techniques that involve shorter crop cycles, prophylaxes and the use of less-susceptible varieties. There has been talk of new varieties with intermediate resistance (IR), but the problem will be solved only with genetic improvement and the availability of high resistance (HR) varieties. In the meantime, there are some important news concerning the fight against ToBRFV from the University of Palermo (SAAF Department), which has promoted the "NetLab" project making constant monitoring possible at a low cost. The project consists in creating a network of micro-labs operating within nurseries so that they can self-check plants by verifying the presence of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus and other pathogens. The experts explained how a validation process compliant with EPPO standards will be necessary. In addition, results and useful suggestions will have to be made available to relevant bodies. Once processed, these results will make it possible to set up a territorial monitoring plan in collaboration with accredited laboratories and specialized mini-laboratories (envisaged by the project) under the direction of the Regional Plant Protection Service. More recently, with the objective of countering the spreading of and eradicating the ToBRFV virus (Tomato brown rugose fruit virus) in the Sicilian territory, the Regional Plant Protection Service issued a decree that envisages the application of specific compulsory plant protection measures. Such measures for bell pepper and tomato (non-resistant varieties) plants, seeds, and mother plants are to be implemented at the expense of the owners or operators where the harmful organism is present. The provision also applies in cases where the presence of the ToBRFV is suspected yet not officially confirmed. Whoever does not implement the compulsory measures will be fined under art. 55 of Legislative Decree no. 19 of 2 February 2021, which has become effective on 15 March 2021. As regards the production prices of table tomatoes, the quotations above were registered at the Vittoria market on 12th April 2021. Small types such as plum (2.04 euro/kg), cherry (1.34 euro/kg) and midi plum (1.18-1.12 euro/kg) tomatoes are doing well. Other segments do not always exceed 1 euro/kg and remain near or even below production prices. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

USA - USDA invests more than $330 million in specialty crops grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of more than $330 million to help agricultural producers and organizations in the food supply chain recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding announced today is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative launched in March, and includes $169.9 million for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), the availability of $75 million for Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program [GusNIP; formerly known as Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI)] grantees and approximately $80 million in payments to domestic users of upland and extra-long staple cotton. This funding will aid in developing new markets for U.S. agricultural products, expand the specialty crop food sector, and incentivise the purchase of fruits and vegetables by low-income consumers. USDA also informed dairy producers and processors today about ongoing plans for the Dairy Donation Program (DDP) as established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. USDA launched the Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative in March with $6.5 billion in available funding to address shortfalls and disparities in how assistance was distributed in previous COVID-19 assistance packages, with a specific focus on strengthening outreach to underserved producers and communities and small and medium agricultural operations. “We launched USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers to respond in a broader, fairer way to the pandemic’s impact across food and agriculture, and we are following through on our promise,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in wide-ranging impacts that were felt throughout the agricultural sector. The Biden-Harris Administration is focused on ensuring that the entire agricultural sector successfully rebuilds following the pandemic, and the funding we’re announcing today will reach a broader set of producers and businesses than previous COVID-19 aid programs.” Developing new markets for specialty crops and expanding existing ones USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing $169.9 million for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) to fund innovative projects designed to support the expanding specialty crop food sector and explore new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products. The total includes: $72.9 million available as part of the annual Farm Bill funding for the program; and An additional $97 million available as emergency funding for applications under this solicitation. Congress provided this funding in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, due to COVID-19 impacts to the food system. Grant project funding awarded as part of pandemic assistance can also go to organizations to assist farmworkers (e.g., for PPE and vaccination costs), projects to fund farmers, food businesses, and other relevant entities to respond to risks and supply chain disruption. The SCBGP funds are allocated to U.S. states and territories based on a formula that considers both specialty crop acreage and production value. Interested applicants should apply directly through their state departments of agriculture. A listing of state contacts is available on the USDA website. Applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 11, 2021. Any grant application submitted after the due date will not be considered unless the applicant provides documentation of an extenuating circumstance that prevented their timely submission of the grant application. For more information about grant eligibility, visit the SCBGP website. Incentivizing the purchase of fruits and vegetables for low-income consumers USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will invest $75 million as directed by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Active Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) and Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) grantees may request funding to allow them to address critical food and nutrition security needs of low-income communities, enhance the resilience of food and healthcare systems impacted by the pandemic, and maximize funds reaching participants in communities in need. The GusNIP COVID Relief and Response grants program (GusCRR) helps low-income communities improve the affordability and consumption of fruits and vegetables by vulnerable participants in communities in need. GusCRR grants will support expanded scope of work started under previous awards to address pandemic relief and respond to community needs in an impactful, timely, and authentic way. NIFA will reach out directly to GusCRR eligible applicants with additional details and a copy of the Request for Applications (RFA). Eligibility to receive a GusCRR grant is limited to organizations with a currently active GusNIP nutrition incentive grant, GusNIP produce prescription grant, or FINI grant that began prior to December 27, 2020. An eligible organization may submit only one GusCRR nutrition incentive grant application and one produce prescription application. USDA encourages applications that benefit smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, socially disadvantaged producers, veteran producers, and/or underserved communities. For grants intending to serve these audiences, applicants should engage and involve those beneficiaries when developing projects and applications. USDA is also updating the currently open FY21 GusNIP RFA to more closely align with the law and extend that opportunity by two weeks to provide potential applicants additional time to consider the full range of available funding. New assistance for cotton users USDA will provide approximately $80 million in additional payments to domestic users of upland and extra-long staple cotton to support textile mills impacted by the pandemic. Under this one-time payment program, known as the Pandemic Assistance for Cotton Users (PACU) program, USDA will pay $.06 per pound to domestic users based on a 3-year monthly average during 2017 through 2019, covering 10 months in 2020. The program and payment formula were established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Consumption information previously submitted to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) by domestic cotton users as participants of the Economic Adjustment Assistance for Textile Mills (EAATM) and Special Competitive Provisions for Extra Long Staple Cotton (ELS) will be used in determining payment. USDA will send payment certifications in support of payment issuance to EAATM and ELS program participants. USDA could begin to issue payments to domestic cotton users in mid- to late April 2021. If you were a user of domestic cotton anytime from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2019 and did not participate in EAATM or ELS programs and have documentation to support your claim according to the provisions of the Act, please contact AMS’s Warehouse and Commodity Management Division (WCMD). Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

Italy - Frost hits the South

Out-of-season frost has caused great damage not only in northern Italy, but also in the rest of the country. The umpteenth harsh drop in temperatures between April 8th and 9th affected Basilicata, Campania, Apulia and Calabria as well, damaging stone fruit, kiwifruits and vegetables. Basilicata "We knew a cold front was coming, but we would never have imagined anything like this, once again. Temperatures dropped to -2°C, with unavoidable consequences for crops. Stone fruits were the most affected, we still do not know the extend of the damage, but groves definitely do not look like they should in spring," commented Franco Lillo, field technician at AOP Arcadia. "Some apricot batches (Pricia, Mogador, Flopria) have been completely destroyed. Fruits have blackened also due to the sudden rise in temperatures only a few hours after the drop. Inland plains were the most affected, whereas a lot of the crops seem to have survived in ventilated areas and near the cost. For some growers, it will be much more than 'natural thinning'. As for peaches and nectarines, we will have to wait a few days to better assess the damage. Kiwifruits, watermelons and melons were also affected, while strawberry crops have not been damaged." Apulia Considerable damage was registered in Apulia as well where, in the Foggia province, temperatures dropped to -5°C. Almonds and cherries are the most affected, though things look worrying for table grapes, asparagus, eggplants and potatoes as well. Intensive almond groves at Soc. Coop. Agricola Giardinetto, located in Orsara di Puglia (FG), have been heavily hit. The groves cover around 100 hectares and already had to deal with the three consecutive frost events in mid-March. Now they have been hit right during blossoming. Giosuè Del Vecchio, counselor for agriculture for the Rignano Garganico municipality (FG) and owner of Fratelli Del Vecchio, a company producing pomegranates and almonds, declared that "around 90% of the almond production at Cooperativa Giardinetto was lost. I assume the damage to the 400 hectares in Capitanata is similar. This last drop in temperatures has affected thousands of hectares of orchards, asparagus crops, vineyards and other crops. I am sure local wheat will be affected as well. We will now have to assess the damage to see whether there are the grounds to declare a state of natural disaster." Part of the organic asparagus crop at Prima Bio, a cooperative located in Rignano Garganico and producing mainly organic broccoli and asparagus, was lost. "We lost around 20% of the production on 20 hectares. It is still not possible to estimate the total damage on our 2,000 total hectares. We usually start harvesting in mid-March but, due to the weird temperatures, we have reached mid-April and have harvested only 10% of the produce. Of course prices are high due to the lack of volumes." Campania As if the frost of April 8th was not enough, another occurred the following day affecting stone fruit, top fruit and vegetables. "The areas mostly hit are Caserta, Acerra, the area north of Naples and the coast. During the night of April 9th, the temperature dropped to -4°C in the south Caserta area. In San Tammaro (Caserta), where I own 10 hectares of pear groves and peach orchards, the frost left its mark. Coscia pears were the most affected and the situation is looking dire for peaches as well. It is still early to assess the damage, but I believe the Italian stone fruit campaign has been prejudiced. We are asking the authorities to intervene as the produce has been damaged and it is difficult to employ labor," explains Giuseppe Ceparano. Potatoes, industrial tomatoes, artichokes, broad beans and peas have been heavily damaged, as have plums and apricots. Discouraging news is coming from Villa Literno (Caserta) regarding industry tomatoes. Nellino Tamburrino reports that "entire crops have been totally destroyed due to the sudden drop in temperatures, as we reached -4.5°C. We need to transplant everything again. I believe the campaign has been prejudiced, despite the existing contracts. We will now have to understand how many plants nurseries have available and are expecting a delayed production by at least 30-40 days with higher production costs. We have currently stopped transplanting to avoid further damage." Calabria Winter has returned to Calabria after the extreme weather events registered already in mid-March. Now strong winds and snow have been registered in the Cosenza and Crotone provinces, even in areas little over 500 m asl. In the Sibari plain, specializing in the production of citrus and stone fruit, temperatures dropped to -3°C in some areas. Apricots and pomegranates have been damaged, but it will take a few days to make an assessment. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

Australia - North Queensland banana grower enraged by lack of assistance after wind damage[:ru]Aust

An Innisfail banana grower has claimed that there is not enough government support after freak winds devastated the region's farms six weeks ago. Dianne Sciacca and her husband had 40 hectares of bananas wiped out by winds associated with Tropical Cyclone Niran. Another 1,200 hectares between Cairns and Silkwood were affected as well. The Sciaccas were very disappointed when they received word that their business would only receive $25,000 in Category C disaster funding. This, while New South Wales flood victims being granted much more generous support. "Why is losing 100 per cent [to storms] any less significant than someone losing 100 per cent in a flood?" Ms Sciacca asked. "None of it makes sense." After being told that Deputy Premier Steven Miles was responsible for applying to the Commonwealth for extra disaster arrangements, Ms Sciacca spoke to representatives of federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud. "I was advised it was definitely not a federal issue. It was a state issue," she said. "If the state asked for that same amount, it would be given." Ms Sciacca said despite four calls made by the Australian Banana Growers Council (ABGC) to the Deputy Premier's office, she was advised ABGC staff had been unable to speak with anyone about the decision. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

Germany - Serious frost damage to stone fruit and green asparagus

Frost, hail and strong temperature fluctuations characterize the current weather situation in Germany. The fluctuating weather is also having an extreme impact on agriculture. FreshPlaza spoke to growers and traders from different sectors and regions about the consequences of the current weather extremes. Lake Constance: serious damage to kiwi berries and Xenia pears From Sunday to Monday, temperatures dropped from up to 20oC during the day to just under 2o. "We already heated our apricots for three nights, which all worked well. There has not been any frost damage to the plums so far either, in part because the blossoms are just coming up now. If the blossoming had taken place 2-3 weeks earlier, as it did last year, we would have had seen considerable damage," says a fruit grower based in Eriskirch. On the other hand, the situation is worse for kiwi berries and Xenia pears, he said. "Op to 80% of our kiwi berries are lost, which is the third crop failure in a row. We have noticed browning in about 70% of our Xenia plants." According to the grower, there is no single, optimal frost protection solution - whether it's films, protective irrigation or frost candles. "Firstly, any measure will be highly dependent on the crop. Secondly, you also have to take the great differences in microclimate into account." Dithmarschen: early cabbage harvest start not threatened for now At this time, it is freezing cold in the northern German cabbage stronghold of Dithmarschen as well. "We are still on schedule in terms of cultivation and we expect to be able to start the early cabbage harvest quite normally in week 25. Furthermore, we still have enough stocks," said a Dithmarsch producer and trade. Austria: "Frost damage to green asparagus" Capricious weather in recent weeks delayed the start of the asparagus harvest by about two weeks; larger quantities are expected in the coming weekend. "There is frost damage to green asparagus," Werner Magoschitz, chairman of the Marchfeldspargel Association, told ORF. This year, the plants are about two weeks behind, Magoschitz reported. A few days ago, harvesting started in Marchfeld from crops with special protection, like foil tunnels. While small quantities are currently still being delivered to the food trade and in part to the catering industry, the main harvest is still to come. Asparagus growth is very dependent on the temperature: "On a hot day it's five centimeters, on a cold day only five millimeters," Magoschitz explained. Due to two nights of frost in the previous week, shoots of green asparagus froze off and now have to grow back, he said. Sluggish soft fruit marketing due to cold weather The cold weather is not only affecting cultivation, but the trade in imported products as well; products like soft fruit from the Mediterranean. "The market situation is quite relaxed for cultivated blueberries, but demand for raspberries and blackberries dropped off sharply after Easter," says a northern German importer and packer. Currently, the bulk of the goods come from the Iberian Peninsula or Morocco, supplemented by the last overseas goods from Chile. "For raspberries in particular the supply situation is not bad at all, but in this weather, there is little appetite for soft fruits. Prices are rather high as well. Normally, they tend to go down directly after Easter, but this drop has not yet taken place." Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

France - Professionals assess the damage

The cold spell that has hit France, along with the violent frost episodes, has caused considerable damage, from the north to the Rhône valley and the southwest. Many regions are affected. A real disaster for producers who had not experienced such temperatures (down to -6°C in some areas) for nearly three decades. The professionals are asking the government for emergency measures and help to cope with the situation. For its part, the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA) “is calling for a quick response from the public authorities” who must “consider now the compensation measures that will help everyone make it through this difficult year.” “When temperatures are this extreme, there is nothing anyone can do. Nature imposes itself on us,” explains Christiane Lambert, president of FNSEA, interviewed by French radio Franceinfo. The Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, declared on Public Sénat that “it will take a few days to measure the extent of the damage precisely.” On Franceinfo, the minister indicated that “this situation is quite exceptional and particularly difficult.” The losses are significant but it is still too early to determine the financial extent of the damage. Dramatic losses for fruit trees Daniel Sauvaitre, president of the National Apple Pear Association (ANPP) and secretary general of Interfel explained to AFP that “peaches, nectarines and apricots will not be easy to find on the shelves this year. The challenge is to know if there are enough flowers left that are still green to get a harvest. And it’s only mid-April, there could still be frost until early May.” On his blog, Daniel Sauvaitre writes that “three nights of frost successively affected almost all apple and pear producing regions in France. [...] For the orchards that rarely experience frost in the spring, or only with a low impact, the wind towers, candles and other Frostbusters showed their limits. A great number of flowers or young fruit froze. This year’s abundant flowering still allows hope for a harvest. It will depend on the varieties, the stage of the vegetation and the conditions in which pollination will take place. [...] But as always, we will have to wait until mid-May to finally be able to make the first counts and evaluate the harvest to come. [...] After the protection against hail and against drought, protection against frost can no longer be optional but another imperative for the agronomic and economic success of an orchard.” In some regions, professionals have lost almost their entire crop. For the arboriculturists whose productions were more advanced (flowering phase), it is a bitter realization. “We’ve had a winter spell with temperatures that went down to -5 and -6°C in the orchards and vineyards. Nothing to do with spring frosts and at this stage of maturity, the orchards and vineyards did not hold up despite the preventive measures including wind towers, candles and water spraying system. The report is not good,” explains Françoise Roch, arboriculturist in the Tarn-et-Garonne department and president of the national federation of fruit producers. In Occitania for example, 70 to 100% of the crops have been destroyed by the frost. In Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the observations are just as bad. “We’ve had temperatures of -5 to -10°C depending on the areas, and despite the protective measures, not all crops could be saved. We have lost between 60% and 100% of the upcoming harvest in the orchards for example. In just the one municipality of La Motte-du-Caire, 200 hectares of apple orchards and nearly 10,000 tons of apples have been lost,” according to Laurent Depieds, apple producer in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and regional secretary of FNSEA. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

France - Fruit sector impacted by frost[:ru]France: Fruit sector impacted by frostFrance: Fruit sector impacted by frost

Producers have been worried since the frost episodes that hit France last week. With significant, maybe even total losses for some sectors, consumers are likely to see fruit prices soar. Josselin Saint-Raymond, director of the National Apple Pear Association. “This is a historic frost: all of the production basins have been affected. The orchards protected by sprinklers will give a harvest. The orchards that were not protected suffered varying degrees of damage. Some have been completely destroyed.” The French prime minister, Jean Castex, announced on Saturday, April 10th, that farmers will receive “exceptional coverage” to cope with the situation, but Samuel Vandaele, president of Young Farmers, declared on French radio Europe 1 that “the fruits will most likely be much more rare, and therefore much more expensive.” The Ministry of Agriculture announced that all of the production basins have been touched. But not all sectors are suffering the same losses. The apricots for example were particularly affected by the cold spell. “In some areas, 100% of the production was destroyed,” explains Bruno Darnaud, president of PDO Peaches and Apricots of France. “Prices should go up a few euro cents in the coming months.” Significant damage has been reported in the Doubs, Jura and Haute-Saône: cherries, apples, pears and strawberries. The frost during the night of April 7th and 8th devastated the crops. Last week, Julien Denormandie declared that “distress and emotions are running high. This is an unprecedented, exceptional situation, affecting wine crops, arboriculture and field crops. The “agricultural disaster” procedure has therefore been launched for professionals. According to Didier Costille of Vergers de Rioz (Haute-Saône): "It is still early but in addition to the frost, there was also 8 to 10 centimeters of snow. I am not sure what caused the most damage. 90% of the cherries have been affected and the mirabelle plums are ruined. Our largest surfaces, the apples and pears, are 80-90% destroyed. It is difficult to evaluate exactly but a tree has 1,000 to 2,000 flowers. A few remain, but not a lot.” Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

Slovenia - Cold snap is disastrous for fruit crops

The cold snap that hit Slovenia last week caused damage to all types of fruit orchards, as well as disrupting the development of vineyards, olive groves and legumes. The Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry has indicated that, in some areas, the whole fruit crop is gone. Boris Orešek, the head of the KGZS's fruit growing section, stated in an online press conference on Friday that record low temperatures wreaked havoc at orchards and plantations across the country. "Never before have fruit growers been in such a difficult situation. On the one hand we have cold rooms still full of last year's apples and pears that are hard to sell, and on the other hand we have orchards all empty due to the frost," said Orešek. The damage was caused by extremely low temperatures and a lengthy frost. The region of Primorska, which has the mildest climate, has had frost since March and in other parts of the country it set in at the beginning of last week. The damage to apple and pear blossoms in the Maribor, Celje and Ptuj areas is 50-70%, while the proportion of damaged blossoms of other trees such as peaches and plums is 60-100%. In Istria and Primorska even vegetables in greenhouses were affected by temperatures that fell to minus 6.5 Celsius and in the broader Nova Gorica area 80-100% of fruit trees have been affected. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

Guatemala - Volcano damages avocado plantations[:ru]Guatemalan volcano damages avocado plantations

On April 7, Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano is still showing high levels of activity, with strong eruptions spewing rivers of lava and ash clouds. The national disaster coordination body said that the advancing lava has caused wildfires and resulted in the destruction of avocado (and coffee) plantations. The 2,500-meter Pacaya volcano, one of the most active of the country’s 38 volcanoes, lies about 25 km south of the capital of Guatemala City. After being dormant for over 70 years, Pacaya has been erupting frequently since 1961. It has been steadily active in 2021, with two strong explosions at the end of last month (March 24-30). In recent weeks, Pacaya has been displaying what scientists refer to as strombolian activity – short-lived, explosive outbursts of lava – fueling lava fountains and flows, and spewing plumes into the air. According to a NASA report, plumes of gas and ash have risen as high as 4,500 meters above sea level from the volcano’s Mackenney summit crater. Lava has flowed 2 to 3 km down its west flank. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

Kenya - Locust outbreak may be coming to an end

The Horn of Africa has been experiencing its worst locust crisis in more than 25 years. In Kenya, the swarms of insects are the worst they've been in 70 years. But things might be looking up. The current locust upsurge began in 2018 when tropical cyclones Luban and Mekunu drenched the Arabian Peninsula, creating the perfect conditions for the hatching of desert locusts. Winds carried swarms across the Red Sea; they arrived in the Horn of Africa in mid-2019. That year, cyclones again left perfect conditions for locusts to spread. Within the first few months of 2020, huge swarms had spread across Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea. A second wave hit Kenya this past November. While in East Africa a lack of rain is usually cause for major concern, this year the delayed spring rains could be beneficial. "The current upsurge showed signs of significant decline during March as desert locust swarms continued to decrease in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia due to ongoing control operations and poor rainfall," the FAO stated. "[…] below-normal rainfall expected this spring would limit breeding to parts of northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia at a much lower scale than last year. If this is followed by poor rainfall this summer in northeast Ethiopia, then the desert locust situation should return to normal.” Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

France - Cherry producers face the cold[:ru]France: Cherry producers face the cold

Cherry producers are worried about losses, after the record cold temperatures on Monday night in the region of Orléans. With temperatures down to -5.4°, losses could reach 50%. Jean-Noël Gidoin, president of the Loiret cherry producer association and arboriculturist in St Hilaire-St Mesmin, explained on the French radio station France Bleu that “any cold spell is detrimental in April, because we are in the middle of the flowering period for cherry trees, which are then very vulnerable. Two nights in a row with such low temperatures for such a long time, it will certainly cause damage, which may be irreversible.” Protection of the orchards “Part of the orchards are covered with tarp, we placed candles underneath to try to maintain the heat and we went around the farm all night to make sure that the candles stayed lit.” Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

Spain - Losses due to the March frosts

In the coming weeks, fruit producers of the Leonese region of Bierzo will find out what the consequences of the frosts registered in the middle and end of March were. "We are waiting for the flowers to drop to check the possible damage to the fruits. In a couple of weeks, we'll know for certain what losses we had because of the frost," stated the technical director of Bercia's Association of Farmers (ABA), Pablo Linares. Producers from El Bierzo grow Conference pears, Reineta apples, and Bierzo Cherries, all of which are recognized by quality or guaranteed marks. Last year, the spring frosts reduced the Conference pear production to 9 million kilos, a little more than half of what is produced in a normal season. The Reineta apple was less affected by the frost and achieved a production volume of 2 million kilos. Bierzo Cherry has had 4 bad campaigns with diminished productions due to the weather. In 2020, the region only produced a little more than 1,000 tons of cherries, i.e. nearly 50% of what they produce in a normal campaign. The Bierzo Conference pear Guarantee Mark has 170 registered producers and a total cultivation area of 420 hectares, while the Reineta del Bierzo Apple Denomination of Origin has 90 registered producers, with 96 hectares. The Bierzo cherry is mainly produced in 3 areas in the region, on the banks of the Burbia, Cua, and Oza rivers. The region has more than 200 hectares devoted to cherries which produce an estimated 3 million kilos a year. Their impact on the economic activity is estimated at more than 3 million euro. Linares said that the first three months of the year were humid, which would allow the aquifers of the region to recharge adequately to face the summer season. "There will be no problems if there are no more frosts," he said. The harvest of the earliest cherry varieties could start in mid-May, he added. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com