Illustrations of vines in winter (non-contractual photo)
Credit : @Pixabay
Already hit by episodes of frost in 2021 and 2022, Tarn-et-Garonne is in suspense following recent weather forecasts for the weekend.
A further drop in temperatures could be fatal for the department’s arborists and wine growers “We produced 700 tonnes of plums last year, and 100 tonnes the year of the frost, if this year the situation returned to the same as in 2021/2022, I am not afraid to say it, it would be 80% of the plum sector which would be filing for bankruptcy » explains Maurice Andral, fruit producer in Moissac in Tarn-et-Garonne.
To protect himself and avoid as much as possible suffering the consequences of these freezing periods again, Maurice Andral got ahead of the curve. “I invested 150,000 euros in 3 towers which protect the most sensitive plots, they distribute hot air from the top of the orchards to the ground, to balance the temperature. »
In the event of a loss, it would amount to hundreds of thousands of euros for the producer, so he is not taking any risks and is tackling a real game of strategy. “If I see that the temperature is starting to drop too much I will go and launch the wind towers, my other plots are just protected by nets, we have to hope that the wind does not take the frost with it » he explains.
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