The devastating floods that struck parts of central and southern Poland over May and June has destroyed over half the apple and stonefruit crop in several areas, damaging the country’s prospects in export markets this season.
Apple production has been particularly badly affected by the flooding, with the expected harvest down by 50 per cent in several regions, according to newly-released data on the damage from Eurostat, processed by Fepex.
Other crops hit by the severe climatic conditions include peaches and apricots, which is also reported to have decreased by 60 per cent in a number of areas, while cherry production has also been affected.
According to a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on the events, Polish cherry production is expected to fall by 20 per cent to 150,000 as a result of flood damage, while strawberry volumes are also predicted to slump by 14 per cent.
In total, an estimated 400,000ha of agricultural land was estimated by the Polish government to have been damaged by several weeks of flooding, which was centered around the basins of the rivers Vistula, Oder and Wisla.
