Meals - Following frost damage, fruit farmers receive assistance.
In autumn or winter, all the funds dwindle away. We're left with nothing left to sell," says Axel Swoboda, depicting the dire situation brought about by the Frost Night on April 23rd for many Thuringian fruit tree farms. He's been in the industry for about 40 years and this was the highest loss due to frost after fruit tree blossom he's witnessed, notes the general manager of the fruit farm in Kindelbrück, as well as the Thuringian Fruit Growing Group's chairperson. Bjoern Kirchner, who manages the Fahner Fruit Marketing Cooperative, deems it a once-in-a-century occurrence. The two largest organizations in the state's agriculture sector reached out to Thuringia's Minister President Bodo Ramelow and Agriculture Minister Susanna Karawanskij (both Left), requesting state assistance.
"We'll see in 2025 if that's enough."
As of Friday, Karawanskij hadn't made a decision in the state parliament, yet at the gathering in Gierstadt (Gotha district), surrounded by large fruit tree orchards, she publicized a sum: a potential two million euros that could be allocated from her budget as emergency relief. She re-activated a previous year's aid guideline for this. "I'm doing what I can to move swiftly," the minister expressed. "We'll see in 2025 if that's enough." For next year, preventive measures should be taken, too.
Thurerland hosts around 15 large fruit tree farms. Apart from Gierstadt, Kindelbrück, and Schmoelln in eastern Thuringia, there are those in Schoengleina near Jena, Oberdorla (Unstrut-Hainich district), and Saale-Holzland district.
Only eastern German federal states were afflicted.
Karawanskij reported at the Special Agriculture Minister Conference in May regarding the frost damage suffered by apples, cherries, and plums. They discussed hope for a federal government-backed program, which unfortunately didn't materialize - the ravages were deemed insufficiently national. Consequently, the aftereffects principally impacted farms in Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Brandenburg. "The only one who can help us is the state," Swoboda contends, explaining why emergency aid is crucial and must be prompt.
"We need the damage report," remarked Ramelow. He brought up that the state parliament had also dealt with the scenario and many members expressed support for assistance. The first step is to safeguard the farms, the second should be a strategy for water supplies in the Gierstadt area, and lastly, considerations for investing in solar panels installed over the orchards—also known as AgriPV systems, which could protect against hail. Kirchner highlighted that there had been a generational transition in many fruit tree farms, and they're receptive to innovative solutions. This includes harvest insurance in response to climate change and frost protection irrigation, though there's still insufficient water for such operations.
The descriptions of frost-induced damage after blooming, when small fruits had already developed, were harrowing. The Thuringia apple yield was 24,000 tons, yet estimated to be at least 20,000 tons less in 2023. Of the 1,700 tons of cherries, around 500 tons may be claimed. Plums, amounting to 1,600 tons the year prior, were on the verge of total disaster.
. Swoboda, chairman of the Fruit Growing Expert Group, calculated a 7.3 million euro economic setback for Thuringian companies due to the yield losses. So aside from state relief, interest-free loans were needed, "to avert potential disaster for horticulture in Thuringia."
