Europe is currently experiencing an unexpected cold period, significantly affecting the agricultural sector, particularly fruit farmers concerned about their summer harvests. The continent has faced colder temperatures than initially forecasted for spring, raising concerns over food supply implications. Since mid-April, the Balkan states have registered a drastic temperature drop, transitioning from near-record highs to unseasonal lows, introducing snow and ice across the region. Franjo Crnković, a fruit farmer from Croatia, reported, "It was very warm, we even had temperatures of up to 30 one day, and then all of a sudden it dropped to minus. The fruits and all of this are all destroyed, it's over, if there are any apples left it will be good." Similarly, Poland's strawberry farms have experienced frosts reaching -8C.
In the Netherlands, a unique approach has been adopted by farmers to protect their crops. By spraying the buds of fruit trees with water, they create a frozen crust that insulates and generates latent heat as it melts, slightly elevating the temperature around the buds to prevent them from dying. Joost van Diepen, a Dutch fruit farmer, explained, "Ice already formed on the branches, and also on the fruit. You see the flower and underneath it is the fruit, which is encased in ice. That layer of ice provides certain insulation and latent heat. This heat keeps the temperature of the fruit just above zero." The cold snap has also led to heavy snowfalls at higher altitudes, prompting drivers to revert to winter tires. Weather forecasts indicate that these extreme conditions are expected to persist into the following week.
Source: euronews.com
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