The late frost of the past 14 days has been loud Austrian hail insurance with local fruit and wine growers Damage of 56 million euros caused. Styria was hit hardest with 37 million euros, followed by Lower Austria with 17 million euros.
“Around 50 percent of the Styrian fruit-growing area is affected, but we expect a normal harvest overall,” said Herbert Muster from the Styrian Chamber of Agriculture on Friday. It should be warmer again.
Freezing point in the Weiz district
“There was significant damage, especially on the night from Sunday to Monday,” said Muster, who is responsible for the chamber’s pome fruit advice. The temperatures were particularly low in the eastern Styrian district of Weiz, where most of Styria’s fruit growers are located. That’s where they do it apples, which are currently just the size of a marble, 80 percent of the fruit-growing area out of.
“The favorable flowering weather beforehand ensured strong flowering, which compensates for the whole thing somewhat,” explained Muster to the APA. He expects “quality losses in some cases”. Above all deeper layers are sometimes faced with total failures, although anti-freeze rain and heating have probably prevented anything worse from happening.
Most of the damage occurs in fruit growing
As of Thursday afternoon, the late frost had caused damage amounting to 56 million euros across Austria within two weeks, hail insurance said on Friday. This is omitted 44 million on fruit growing, the rest on wine.
Styria was the “hotspot” with damage of EUR 32 million in the fruit sector and EUR 5 million in the wine sector. In addition to Lower Austria (17 million), two million euros in damage were reported in the other federal states.
Frost was also forecast for Friday night. “We were at the limit with temperatures down to minus two degrees, where not too much was happening,” said Muster, relieved. In the coming days it should get warmer again. Muster hopes “that’s it for this season.”
