Less damage than last year for French production of peaches and apricots

The cold spell which affected many European regions seems to have spared most of the French peach and apricot production areas which had been hard hit last year.

 

Despite the coldest night ever recorded for a month of April since 1947, the episode of frost that hit France in early April seems to have less damage than last year.

 

According to a press release from the AOP Pêches et Abricots de France, the temperatures observed in the south-eastern quarter of France did not reach the records of last year, and the areas which recorded temperatures below -2 ° are few. A set of meteorological factors (air masses, wind, etc.) and the protection efforts deployed (candles, irrigation, wind turbines, etc.) by producers avoided the worst.

 

However, some areas are strongly impacted, such as certain plots in the Rhône Valley, the upper Têt valley (Pyrénées-Orientales) and the Baronnies region (Drôme) where losses are estimated at 2/3 of the harvest.

 

This wave of frost also affected other European regions, such as in Spain with the regions of Lerida (Catalonia), Huesca, Zaragoza (Aragon), Navarre, León and La Rioja. European apricot harvest forecasts will be announced at the next medFEL show.

 

 

source : aop pechesabricots france.com, francebleu.fr