The period of frost in the beginning of February has already caused 85 million Euro damage in the entire fruit cultivation sector. In all of the Netherlands fruit companies suffered severe damage in both apple and pear orchards. This results in a loss of harvest and of trees. During the coming months the sector expects more fall out of fruit trees and with that a further increase of the damage. This is according to an inventory by the Dutch Fruitgrowers Association (NFO), which was finalised at the beginning of July.
Especially in the northern province of Flevoland the fruit growers were hard hit. But also in Gelderland, in the east and North Brabant in the south of the country, fruit growing companies suffered heavy losses. Because of the changeable character of the damage tens of companies this year hardly have any damage. For the heavily hit companies the damage could be as high as three hundred thousand Euro. The total damage of about 70 million is the result of loss of yield because of frozen buds. The loss of yield will be noticeable from a smaller fruit production, especially of apples and pears. Later this week the Productschap Tuinbouw will publish the estimates of the apple and pear harvest.
The damage because of the fall out of trees (till the beginning of July) amounts to about 15 million Euro. The production in damaged orchards will therefore be less in the coming years as well. With a loss of about 45 million Euro in pears and 35 million Euro in apples, these two crops have been hit hardest. The remaining 5 million Euro is the value of the damage up to and including June 2012. Only at the end of this year and possibly also still during the next growing season of 2013 will it become clear how extensive the total fall out of trees will be.
