Production estimates grim for Polish apple growers
A Polish exporter confirmed this morning that he suspects that apples losses could be up to 50% and up to 80% in some regions around Warsaw. The news was even worse for growers in the South of Poland, which makes up approximately 30% of domestic production, where growers were hit even harder by frost which was even more severe than growers in the Grojec.
"Two weeks ago when the frosts hits, they were positive that the frost hadn't done too much damage since our trees blossom later and they had been in the budding stage. The frost from last week though was a different story and was devastating, because it hit when the trees were flowering." said the exporter.
More and more growers have been investing in irrigation, which has helped, but many others are still using old methods or nothing at all.
Along with damages ranging from region to region, the impact of the frosts also varies from variety to variety. Varieties like Jonagold and Red Prince, are expected to see a lot of losses. You can see that Jonagold was also severely hit in the Netherlands.
"Due to the losses being European wide, apple prices have shot up by 15-20% in the last two weeks. The frost didn't just hit in Poland, it was all over Europe. The growers already see that they won't have enough apples for next season, so that also has an impact on this season. A lot of the growers are holding on to last season's apples, waiting for a higher price. Prices are expected to continue to increase, but there will be a limit at some point."
"It is only May and we still have to make it through the summer and the harvest season, so only time will tell what the true situation will be. After the frosts, there are still risks of hail storms, drought or severe rains later on in the season. We are dealing with a living product and mother nature, so it is out of our hands. It is a difficult season coming and it's going to be tough."
"It's not so easy to admit that there will be total losses and everyone is still hoping that it's not as bad as it seems. I went to the orchards after the last frost and the flowers didn't look very good, so what can I say, I would like to be optimistic, but it's not that easy any more. Now we are just hoping for a miracle."