After a first complete overview by the official reporters of the Bureau of Statistics, it became clear that there will be a harvest of about 15 decitonnes (1dt = 100 kilogram = 0.1 tons) per hectare (ha) due to the fruit setting in late May / early June. With a cultivation area of about 2,075 ha in the southwest of the country, approximately 31,150 dt will be reached, which is only a fifth of the average of the years 2011 to 2016 (145,000). Last year the harvest was comparatively low with only 108,000 dt. The late frosts around April 20th, with temperatures down to 7° Celsius below freezing, are held responsible for many of the losses.
Sour cherries are mostly used for processed products, such as jams or juices. If the weather stays normal until the harvest, producers are expecting 44dt/ha, which is even lower than the already bad result of last year (48dt/ha). According to this year's cultivation area of about 200 ha, 9,000 dt of sour cherries can be expected. This yield is 42 percent below the five-year average of 2011 to 2016, and 16 percent below to the previous season.
Plums and damsons are expected to yield just above 29 dt/ha. With an acreage of 1,500 ha this number results to 44,200 dt: Three quarters less than the long-term average (2011/2016) of 165,200dt. Last year had already been a year with small volumes (125,200 dt).