Construction - Cherry harvest failed due to frost damage - Farm stalls closed
Difficult times for orchard farmers: Due to frost damage on fruit trees, the harvest of cherries and other crops is failing in many places. Some farm stands are having to close.
"All fruit varieties have suffered total crop failure due to massive frost damage, and as a result, we cannot offer a self-pick option," announced the Marquardt Orchard in Potsdam on its website. According to the statistics office, more than two-thirds of the farms are expected to be affected in this way.
Farm stands are closed in some places because there are no cherries, plums, apples, and pears. "It's all frozen," write the operators of Neumann's Orchard in Potsdam. The raspberry harvest is still scheduled for July. The apple orchard Müller in Altlandsberg in the Märkisch-Oderland district also reports massive losses. Other farmers are reporting similar issues.
The Horticultural Association Berlin-Brandenburg estimates the damages at around 10 to 14 million Euros. The Land Brandenburg will provide 3 million Euros this year to support orchard farmers due to high crop losses caused by frost damage.
Brandenburgish orchards, according to the Statistical Office, are expected to yield 110 tons of cherries - a quantity that is 650 tons below the average cherry yield of the previous year. Sour cherries are grown on approximately 226 hectares of land in Brandenburg, according to the statistics office. Sauerkirsch trees occupy about 62 hectares. The cultivated area has been decreasing continuously for years.
Meanwhile, raspberries are in high season until the end of August. Interested parties can also pick them themselves. According to the Horticultural Association, around 24 farms grow raspberries on about 419 hectares. With raspberries, there is also the risk of frost damage, but not as massive as with cherries.
The construction of new greenhouses in Potsdam is being considered to protect fruit trees from future weather extremes, as suggested by some local farmers. Despite the challenges in Agriculture, the courtyard shop at the Marquardt Orchard in Potsdam continues to sell a variety of fruits and products, though cherry harvest is significantly affected. The weather in Brandenburg has not been kind to the fruit tree farms, leading to a projected cherry yield of only 110 tons, significantly lower than the average of the previous year. A fruit tree farmer in Brandenburgboldly plantes Cherry trees on an additional 10 hectares of land, despite the warnings of continued weather volatility.
