Strawberry growers in Estonia are expecting lower production this season following damage caused by heavy rainfall last summer, although the impact on prices remains unclear.
At Wiira Farm in Tartu County, around 40 per cent of Falco strawberry plants planted last year were lost due to excessive moisture. The farm grows strawberries across approximately 2 hectares using the Falco and Asia varieties.
Farm owner Erle Hermann said the farm had taken a loan for spring planting that was expected to be repaid by the end of summer, but repayment will now need to be extended by another year.
Kadri Nebokat of the Estonian Berry Growers Association said excessive rainfall also damaged strawberry fields in other parts of the country. According to Nebokat, the level of damage depends on planting dates, field moisture levels, and strawberry varieties.
At Joosepi Farm in Põlva County, flooded fields resulted in the loss of all strawberry plants. Marketing and sales manager Ranet Roositalu said the previous summer's conditions had a strong impact on production.
"The Asia variety of strawberries suffered the most, and half of them have died off," Roositalu said.
According to the report, investments worth tens or hundreds of thousands of euros were made in the damaged fields. Flooding also affected other crops, with almost 90 per cent of pea and potato fields reportedly underwater.
Nebokat said it remains too early to fully estimate losses on her own farm. She added that the past three seasons have been difficult due to weather conditions, affecting overall plant strength and development.
Despite lower expected strawberry volumes, growers do not expect automatic price increases due to competition from imported strawberries. The first locally grown Estonian strawberries are expected to reach the market in early June.
Source: BNN News
