From Var to Burgundy, farmers are experiencing a week of dangers with the risk of white frost which could destroy future crops (AFP/Archives/Valentine CHAPUIS)
It’s not that cold but the buds are already here: from Var to Burgundy, farmers are experiencing a week of dangers with the risk of white frost which could destroy future crops.
“We are preparing for next night. We are forecasting white frosts with temperatures of -1 to -2°C. At the end of April, the temperature is not abnormal but on the other hand it can wreak havoc on the crops,” Françoise Koch, president of the National Federation of Fruit Producers, told AFP.
“Most of the vines have budded (released their buds), it’s the same for kiwi, apricot trees or apple trees: on these fruits in formation, all it takes is a slightly strong frost and we lose everything,” explained this producer of apples, plums and grapes in Tarn-et-Garonne.
She believes that no region is safe, from the steep valleys of the south of France to the north-east, including Puy-de-Dôme and Burgundy.
“There have already been some losses among wine growers in Var, Vaucluse and certain areas of Hérault. We will be very vigilant in the coming days,” Jérôme Despey, first vice-president of the union, told AFP majority agricultural FNSEA.
White frosts are feared by farmers every year: they occur when temperatures become negative, humidity is quite high and there is no wind. The plants are then covered with a thin white film – unlike crops affected by black frost, which blacken the leaves under the effect of cold and dry air.
“We fight against this risk by using wind turbines to circulate the air and reduce humidity, by installing candles in the vineyards or by using irrigation, by practicing sprinkling”, which allows vines to be sprayed or fruit trees to coat the buds with an igloo of ice to protect them from temperatures below 0°C, recalls Mr. Despey, himself a winegrower in Hérault.
“Wherever they exist, these devices are activated, but it is estimated that less than 20% of surfaces can be protected on a national scale. So yes, we fear losses,” he explains.
Usually, farmers consider themselves out of danger after “the ice saints”, around May 10-12. With increasingly mild winters, they especially fear frost on increasingly precocious buds.
In 2021, temperatures suddenly dropped to -5 or -6°C, and frost destroyed 40% of apricot production and ravaged entire vineyards, costing the State more than 400 million euros. .
© 2024 AFP
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