The start of the Cherry Blossom Festival in the north of Cáceres coincided with the first meteorological setback in the northern regions.
On the night of 20 March, a severe hailstorm hit around 3,500 hectares of cherry trees, mainly in the municipalities of Tornavacas, Cabezuela del Valle, Jerte, Garganta la Olla, Jaraíz and Cuacos de Yuste. However, the real tragedy is that not all producers are insured due to the imposition of Agroseguros conditions, according to the Unión de Extremadura.
The visible damage at the moment consists of a loss of around 5% of the flowering, a loss that will not be very important as the remaining 95% will be able to compensate for the flowers that have fallen due to the hail.
The most important losses are not visible at the moment and will only be able to be assessed in May, once the reaction of the cherry tree to the hail blows has been verified.
In light of these circumstances, the agricultural organisation once again denounces that all the damage caused will be borne by the growers 'given that practically the entire cherry crop has remained uninsured for the umpteenth year due to the deficiencies of cherry insurance in Cáceres and that the Ministry of Agriculture, at the proposal of Agroseguros, has once again tightened it for this season'.
The Union of Extremadura is asking the Ministry of Agriculture, through its body Enesa, to negotiate cherry tree insurance for the province of Cáceres with real coverage and at an affordable price.
"It is very nice to want to celebrate the Cherry Blossom Festival so that all of society can enjoy the spectacle of the northern valleys, white with blossoms, but we must remember that we will only have cherry trees if the harvest is safe and profitable, circumstances that do not exist at the moment," warns the organisation.
For this reason, they will ask the Regional Agriculture Department to convene a meeting of the Regional Agricultural Welfare Board 'so that we can study the problem we have and possible solutions in good time'.
Source: Agroinformacion.com
Image: Agroinformacion.com
28 Jun 2024
Granitic soil, filtering sandstone, cherry trees planted on elevated slopes: it is this terroir that differentiates the Burlat cherry seen on all French markets. The Burlat cherry preserves its freshness more easily, which makes it possible to extend the harvest period.
15 Jan 2024
In 2010, a major development project, Consorcio Tecnológico de la Fruta, was initiated to obtain new cultivars suited to the Chilean climate and export market. 24 of the 30 advanced selections have already been grafted and are being studied.
07 Aug 2026
A study evaluates 92 entomopathogenic nematode strains against Drosophila suzukii. Steinernema carpocapsae NC116 shows high efficacy against larvae, while sublethal effects on adults open new opportunities for integrated pest management in cherry production.
07 Aug 2026
The 2026 Northwest U.S. cherry season enters its final phase with over 16 million boxes shipped. Volumes remain below the May forecast and Rainier cherries are sharply down, while flavor, size and quality stay high as dark sweet cherries support the final push in August.
