French orchards have been heavily hit by night frosts in April. On top of that, blossoms dropped early due to the abundant rain fall which has caused some fertilisation problems.
Fruit growers investigated the total damage in Maine-et-Loire. According to the first estimates, around 700ha of orchards have lost 50% of its production. Luc Barbier, chairman of the FNPF (national federation of fruit growers) announced that the northern region of Paris lost almost its entire crop and that apple trees in Limousin are only going to be able to supply 3,600t instead of its usual 40,000 ton. The damages are also big for apple growers in the departments of Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Dordogne, Cher and the Lorraine region. Producers in Rhônedal have also lost a lot of production. Summer fruits such as cherries and red fruits were affected by the cold wave in the first half of February.
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In addition, the fruit that is good is often damaged, making it unsuitable for sale in the fresh market. This will also affect seasonal workers. "Not as many seasonal workers are needed for thinning. It will also be the same situation for the harvest," says Bruno Dupont, chairman of Interfel. Furthermore, sorting and shipping will slow down. Barbier points out that commercial companies and cooperatives will be forced to take measures to shorten working hours.