Cherries and apricots have risen in price due to bad weather

Farmers in Greece’s productive areas, who have experienced severe weather disasters – from spring frosts to recent repeated rains – now have high hopes for the next harvest, mid-early and late stone fruit varieties.

Major production areas such as Pella, Naoussa and Veria are experiencing heavy losses of peaches, nectarines and apricots, while almost the entire crop of early cherries (cherries) was lost. Thus, the volume of early varieties that have been harvested so far is small, as spring frosts, continued rains and hail have damaged the crop. Now producers of early cherries count only damage and lossessince the harvest that they managed to collect was minimal.

Now there is only one hope for mid-early and late varieties, which are already ripening and will be harvested in the near future. It is characteristic that the agricultural cooperative in Imathia, which received almost 250 tons of cherries in the corresponding period last year, did not receive a single kilogram this year. In some cases, growers do not even enter the gardens to harvest. Because the amount they can raise will not even cover the cost of agricultural workers, who are still in short supply this year.

In Pella heavy hail last week led to complete destruction of fruits on an area of ​​about 6 hectares. Fruit damage is universal. Problems were also created by spring frosts, which in some places affected fruits at different stages of vegetation, from the beginning of flowering to fruit set.

The initial forecast at the European level says that “there will be a slight decrease in the production of table peaches in Greece: to 334,340 tons compared to 353,300 tons in 2022 (a decrease of 5%). Accordingly, the forecast for the production of pitted peaches should have decreased by 4% compared to 2022 to reach 331,500 tons.So, weather permitting, farmers hope that when the time comes for the harvest of medium early and late stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots, plums), which is expected from mid to the end of June, they will be able to fully assemble it, without loss.

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