The heavy rainfall in South Limburg could be bad for the cultivation of cherries and other soft fruit in the region. If the fruit is not covered, growers can consider the entire crop as good as lost.
–
Even if there is a covering, part of the fruit can be lost, because the roots absorb so much water that the fruits burst, says chairman Eric Huids of the Dutch Fruit Growers Organization in Limburg.
Cracks in fruit
Huids estimates that the majority of sweet cherries in South Limburg do have a roof, because it is a more expensive product. The same goes for most strawberries and redcurrants. But because covered soft fruit absorbs too much water from the soil, cracks can still occur in some of the fruits. As a result, about 10 percent of the total is lost.
The cheaper sour cherries, which are used in pies and other bakery products, for example, are often left uncovered and are likely to be largely lost. Almost all sour cherries are grown in Limburg.
Dramatic
“In general, the damage is not that bad. But that does not mean that there are no incidental cases where there is no roof at all and everything is gone. It is of course dramatic for that grower in question,” says Huids.
He indicates that hard fruit, such as apples and pears, can still withstand excessive rain. Limburg is estimated to account for at least 10 percent of fruit cultivation in the Netherlands, but according to Huids the share of soft fruit is relatively small.
– .
