This year's fruit harvest from orchards will be down by about 23 percent compared to last year due to the impact of spring frosts. The total production is estimated at about 115,031 tonnes, compared to last year's 150,100 tonnes by mid-June. Also, compared to the average of the last five years' harvests, the expected fall will amount to 26 percent, as reported by Martin Ludvík, President of the Fruit Union of the Czech Republic. The loss of revenue for fruit growers has already been estimated at almost half a billion crowns (about 19 million Euro).
Compared to this year's estimate, only that of 2011 was lower. Back then, the total production reached 101,249 tonnes and was one of the lowest in the last 50 years. The reason for that was also the impact of frost. Also exceptionally low was the harvest in 2010, when the production stood at 121,019 tonnes.
The apple production is expected to fall by 22 percent to 98,339 tonnes, which entails a drop of 25 percent against the five-year average. Regionally, the area with the most crops affected is Moravia. For instance, apricots and peaches are recording average declines of about 70 percent compared to the five-year average.
Significant decreases in crop yields are also expected for cherries, sour cherries and plums. The cherry production should fall by 55 percent compared to last year, down to 1,229 tonnes, with sour cherries expected to fall by 41 percent, to 3,047 tonnes, and plums by 39 percent, to 3,878 tonnes.
Source: irozhlas.cz
