Farming sector: - Freezing temperatures ruin fruit crop; government offers financial support.
The state of Brandenburg is stepping in to assist fruit growers who are anticipating significant crop losses as a result of frost damage. In a conversation with the German Press Agency in Potsdam, Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) explained that the government intends to support those farms that have been severely impacted by the frost and have incurred significant financial losses. Woidke recently engaged with representatives from the fruit-growing and horticultural industries at the State Chancellery. They estimated that this year's damage will range between 10 and 14 million euros.
Fruit farmers can expect to receive financial assistance in the near future. Government spokesman Florian Engels shared over the weekend that initial payments will be issued in 2024, with a final payment expected in mid-2025. Additionally, Agriculture Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) reaffirmed the commitment to funding the construction of irrigation storage basins for more even water distribution.
In 2019, the state provided approximately 1.7 million euros in "frost aid" to fruit farmers to help compensate for their financial losses. The Ministry of Agriculture reported that nearly half of the around 60 fruit farms in the state experienced severe frost damage at the time. Apples are the primary fruit cultivated in Brandenburg, followed by sweet cherries.
Thomas Bröcker, chairman of the fruit growing section of the Berlin-Brandenburg Horticultural Association, predicts substantial yield reductions in tree fruit. Bröcker manages his own apple orchards and expressed the gravestyle of the losses. "It's all gone for me." Bröcker explained that farms at lower elevations and in low-lying areas have completely lost their crop due to the frost, but even farms at higher elevations have encountered losses of 70 to 80 percent.
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Source: www.stern.de