Start of harvest in Saxony: Apple celebration cancelled

Start of harvest in Saxony: Apple celebration cancelled

Because of the poor harvest, the ceremonial start of the apple harvest season is cancelled. The blossom queen and the brass band stay at home. What will people do instead?

At the start of the apple harvest, the blossom queen normally bites into an apple with relish, accompanied by a brass band, ministers and satisfied apple farmers. That is not happening this year. As the fruit growers’ association announced on Tuesday, there will be no official opening of the apple season in Saxony. The reason for this is the extreme late frosts in April. Because an icy night in the spring destroyed most of the blossoms, hardly any apples have ripened.

“A large proportion of the apple orchards in Saxony have practically no or very little fruit,” writes the association. A harvest of 10 percent is expected compared to last year. Instead of the 56,600 tons of apples harvested in 2023, 5,800 tons are expected for Saxony this year.

Instead of celebrating, the association is now concentrating on finding solutions with the relevant authorities and ministries to secure the existence of fruit growers. In May, the coalition had already agreed on aid for frost damage in fruit and wine growing. 20 million euros are to be made available to fruit growers. The fruit growers are also asking consumers to support regional producers in particular. Farm shops are still open and are selling apples – but in smaller quantities, with blemishes and at a slightly higher price. The fruit growers’ association does not expect prices to be significantly higher, but the apples can be bought from other federal states.