Valle del Jerte, June 1, 2023.- The D.O.P Cereza del Jerte regrets the loss of practically the entire cherry campaign in Valle del Jerte due to the heavy rains that have fallen in recent days. According to the calculations of the Regulatory Council of the Protected Designation of Origin, 80% of the harvest is damaged and is considered lost.
So far only 20% of the crop has been picked, and a vast majority of the cherries on the trees are cracked, rotten or stained from excess moisture. According to the first estimates of the president of the D.O.P Cereza del Jerte, José Antonio Tierno, the storm has spoiled “between 18 and 20 million kilos” of cherries in Cáceres, which translates into approximate losses of up to 70 million euros. . This is a preliminary figure because the exact extent of the damage is not yet known. In this sense, the prospects are not rosy because it is expected that it will continue to rain in the region for the next few days.
The Protected Designation of Origin expresses its solidarity with the affected farmers. The loss of the harvest is a “catastrophe” for Jerte because “all the families in the valley depend, at different levels, on the cultivation of cherries,” says Tierno. “You have to take into account that the economy of the area depends between 70% and 80% of these fruits. Therefore, this situation means having to live with only 20% of the income”, emphasizes the president.
The president of the D.O.P explains that in the event that a small part of the harvest can finally be saved, “the objective will be to export the greatest amount of product possible because it is where the greatest value is obtained”, but they are aware that ” it poses a greater risk because the fruit would be in delicate conditions and might not withstand the process well.”
The campaign already started in an atypical way this year because flowering was delayed between 10 and 12 days due to the lack of rain. Although later, the high temperatures favored the development of the fruits, and, until now, the harvest was expected to be good, both in volume and in product quality.
Pillars are also affected
The pillory campaign was now entering the collection process. For the moment, the incidence of cracks in this variety is limited to between 10% and 15% of the harvest, but as Tierno explains, “if it continues to rain as expected, it will end up cracking as well.” The pillories are also very sensitive to developing spots, which reduces their market value. The cherry harvest accounts for 20 or 25% of the total cherry campaign.
Lack of insurance aggravates the situation
Despite the fact that this year the percentage had increased slightly, only between 5% and 7% of cherry orchards have taken out insurance to deal with catastrophes of this type.
From the D.O.P Cereza del Jerte it is recommended to have policies to deal with disasters. President José Antonio Tierno defends that the ideal is that “all the crops are insured because the livelihood of many families is out in the open.” “It’s as if people have their money and property on the street, waiting to see what can happen,” he concludes.
Declaration of a catastrophic area, yes, but with specific measures
The D.O.P Cereza del Jerte joins the request for the declaration of a catastrophic zone after the heavy rains that have ruined the harvest because it defends that, “obviously it is a catastrophe”, but demands that it be accompanied by “specific measures so that it does not remain in a toast to the sun” and calls for “political will despite the fact that the administrations are in office”.
Regulatory Council of the Protected Designation of Origin Cereza del Jerte:
The Cereza del Jerte Protected Designation of Origin Regulatory Council is an entity that works to promote and certify the origin and quality of protected products. Its main objectives are to disseminate the corporate image of the Cereza del Jerte Protected Designation of Origin, as well as to promote the cultivation and marketing of quality cherries.
Europa Press Communication: 91 359 26 00
Icíar Díaz iciardiaz@europapress.es
Susana Sedano susanasedano@europapress.es
Virginia Garcia virginiagarcia@europapress.es
D.O.P. Regulatory Council Jerte cherry: 927 47 11 01/03
Fátima López-Santamaría Nogales picota@cerezadeljerte.org
www.cerezadeljerte.org
