Apricot cultivation works on an emotional basis in Kecskemét, because it is the symbolic fruit of the city. However, the frost does not spare the peaches, the farmers have not had a normal crop for years. Bács-Zöldért Zrt lost at least 50 hectares, but this year they hope that the frost that arrived at the time of flowering was not as strong as before.
– We took care of frost protection in the orchards with different techniques, thanks to which there are still peaches on the trees. We see so much fruit that it will be worth taking the pickers out, it will also be worth coming to our Pick-your-own sale. We are optimistic not only about peaches, but also about plums
said György Gaál, co-owner of Bács-Zöldért Zrt.
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As he said, we still have to expect the return of frosts in late spring, but we have to try to live with this situation. Of course, farmers can defend themselves, but the range of possibilities is limited.
– Frost protection involves a lot of energy, straw bale burning, gas jet solutions, and tractor-drawn heating devices can also be effective. We do everything we can, constantly monitoring the weather, to protect the 40-50 hectares of peach crops. This can also mean the life of a company – added György Gaál.
As we learned, there is an early-ripening variety whose fruit is completely destroyed, but if we look at the average, the frost damage is 70-80 percent for peaches and 50 percent for plums.
