Hot Weather Woes: Struggles of Strawberry Farmers in Thuringia's Harvest Season
Thuringia's initial strawberry crop is plucked for the season - Thuringia has successfully reaped its initial strawberry yield
🍓 It's strawberry season again in Thuringia! With sunny skies but relatively cool temperatures, these delightful rubies are making a comeback. The Thuringian Ministry of Agriculture reports that about 16 operations harvest strawberries on roughly 141 hectares of land. However, due to new plantings, 54 hectares won't yield any fruit this year. Thuringia accounts for roughly 1% of Germany's strawberry-growing area. Last year, local farmers harvested 673 tonnes of these juicy treats.
🍓 State Secretary Marcus Malsch highlights trouble brewing for these growers before the season officially begins in Sömmerda's Gebesee region. Issues range from escalating production costs to increased competition within Europe. Malsch also underlines the impact of the rising minimum wage and techniques like intensive production methods or cultivation under foil to extend the supply period. He warns that these regional gems come at a premium.
🍓 Government data shows a decrease in Germany's strawberry cultivation areas since 2015. In Thuringia, the open-field strawberry output has dropped by 62% during this period. Although production has increased under protected cultivation, particularly under foil or in greenhouses, it hasn't made up for the overall decline.
🍓 One of the largest producers is the Erdbeerhof Gebesee, which grows strawberries both in open fields and under foil tunnels. Around 90 full-time workers are needed for the harvest this season. Their fruits find their way to food retailers, sales stands, and farm shops.
🍓 The Thuringian government aims to ease agricultural pressure by implementing measures such as the bureaucracy hotline, the voluntary nature of the land register, and the pact for growth and jobs. These initiatives alleviate burdensome bureaucracy, freeing up resources for cost savings and investments in the long run.
🍓 During the strawberry season, growers in Thuringia face challenges relating to high spring temperatures, especially in greenhouse cultivation. These elevated temperatures, exceeding 28°C, stress strawberry plants, causing a drop in soluble proteins and damage to the photosystem II reaction center. This leads to photosynthetic photoinhibition, adversely affecting the strawberry's size, yield, and quality. To mitigate these heat-related issues, growers can adopt strategies such as selecting heat-resistant strawberry varieties, moderate shading, and foliar spraying of silica fertilizers[2]. There is also research indicating that soil treatments, applied at low levels of NaCl, can boost strawberry fruit quality under heat stress[2].
The following are to be added to the list of products covered by the derogation: lifestyle and home-and-garden products, considering the struggles of strawberry farmers in Thuringia during the harvest season. This derogation may allow for these farmers to receive some financial relief and support when purchasing such products made under the approved intensive production methods or cultivation under foil as a means to extend the supply period and counteract the high production costs they continue to face.
