Agriculture in crisis mode: frost threatens apple harvest in Saxony

From Martin Skurt

Coswig. In the midst of orchards affected by frost and extreme weather conditions, organic farmer Michael Görnitz received Saxony's Minister of Agriculture Wolfram Günther (Greens), who had arrived by bicycle, on Thursday. The visit took place against the backdrop of the recent crop failures, which have had a massive impact on apple production in the region in particular.

Görnitz, whose farm in Neusörnewitz has been struggling with the effects of climate change for years, explained the challenges he and other farmers are facing. "The frosty nights in the spring hit us hard," said Görnitz, referring to the few remaining apple trees. He expects a crop loss of up to 90 percent. He is also particularly concerned about the chokeberry plants, which are not bearing any fruit this year. The plants on sale do bear berries, but these are specially cultivated from cuttings in cold storage cells.

Direct marketing and regional value chain

To survive these days, direct marketing is crucial, says the fruit grower. "This allows us to improve our margin." By selling directly, his farm can gain more than one euro extra per kilo of apple. This year, he had to raise the price of the early Collina variety by 50 cents to 2.89 euros to compensate for the frost damage. But only a few people buy them because of their appearance, even though the taste is not affected, says Görnitz.

Minister Günther had wanted to visit the company for some time to get an idea of the situation on site. During the conversation, he took on the role of questioner and listener. The 22 million euros in aid provided to support the affected fruit and wine growers was only mentioned in passing. It is intended to help the farms to bridge the financial losses and secure the future of agricultural businesses in Saxony.

Despite state subsidies, however, Görnitz needs to cross-finance crop losses through service businesses such as fruit tree pruning for other farms, he says. "We don't manage to accumulate equity." This reflects the larger problem that agricultural businesses in the east and west of Germany will remain financially vulnerable in the future.

The discussion between Günther and Görnitz ultimately also focused on long-term adaptation to climate change. Görnitz showed a sample apple tree plantation with foil roofing that successfully protects against frost. "The frost-sensitive Gala variety bears best thanks to the roofing, otherwise it froze to death everywhere," explained Görnitz. He pleaded for an increase in support in the protection sector to 70 percent, plus additional support for organic cultivation and special cases of hardship. Currently, only 40 percent is available. Although Günther showed interest in these issues while tasting an Elstar apple, he did not respond directly to the call for increased subsidies.

Fruit growing is not worthwhile without insurance

In any case, Görnitz emphasized the need for insurance against weather damage. "I couldn't survive without compensation," he said. He called for the expansion of regional value chains in order to better meet local demand. "The course must be set now," emphasized Görnitz, already looking ahead to next year. In his eyes, every entrepreneur will decide this year whether they will survive the next. The organic farmer is certain that if they want to survive, they have to actively combat the effects of climate change such as hail, heavy rain, frost and heat.

During the discussion, Günther once again announced that the organic field days on the topic of "water" will take place next year. Without saying it, he wanted to demonstrate the state government's commitment to promoting organic farming and innovative solutions to the challenges facing farmers. In any case, Minister Günther listened to Michael Görnitz for longer than planned and overran his schedule by half an hour. It remains to be seen what concrete steps will be taken to increase the resilience of Saxon agriculture and make farms fit for the future.