07 April 2004 16:56
Late frosts hit fruit and grain harvest in southern Russia
[Presenter] Southern Russia is counting the damage after spring floods. Orchard owners in Krasnodar Territory
won't be able to provide the area's residents with the traditional delicacies of the south - cherries,
apricots and peaches. The situation is no better for the farmers. Grain that had already put out shoots has died at
temperatures of minus 10. Aleksandr Yakovenko reports:
[Correspondent] The frosts over the last few days have left the blossom-filled orchards of the Kuban without a
harvest. It's already known that there will be no cherries, peaches or apricots. Morello cherries and summer apples
are also under threat.
[Viktor Kulik, head of crops department of the Krasnodar Territory Agriculture Department] The situation is close to
an emergency, of course. Frosts are hitting spring cereals, winter crops and even perennial grasses.
[Correspondent] The farms are only just beginning to count the damage. Time is needed to determine its scale. Even
now it's clear, however, that some fields will have to be resown. Ten-degree frosts have not only destroyed what
had already managed to come up, but also shoots still in the soil.
[Vladimir Gavrish, senior agronomist for Starominskiy District, Krasnodar Territory] The paradox is that the lucky
ones are those who dragged out planting their crops. That's clear. For those who got the sowing done on time,
no-one was expecting there'd be the same old frosts on 4 or 5 April.
[Correspondent] In this district of the territory alone, one and a half hectares of barley have suffered. Not even
the hardiest crops - peas - have withstood temperatures that are bizarrely low for April, while small greenhouses can be
seen in the lucerne fields, trying to see if the crop will survive. [Passage omitted]
The April frost will hit the markets with summer prices. A kilo of cherries or apricots will be more expensive than
last year. There'll be no shortages, however. Imported fruits will fill the gap. As for the wheat harvest, that
won't be affected by the recent frosts, and sunflowers and maize have not yet been sown. [Passage omitted]
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