Farmers are sounding the alarm after recent days of frost across the country. Representatives of the farming community warn that sugar beet, wheat, and rapeseed yields could drop due to the freezing temperatures.
At the same time, fruit trees in orchards may also suffer damage. The affected crops could include cherries, peaches, grapes, and almonds. Former executive director of the “Farmers’ Force” association, Alexandr Slusari, said temperatures dropped to as low as -7°C in Briceni and Ocnita during the night from Sunday to Monday.
“The situation in central and southern Moldova isn’t much better. Besides perennial crops like apricots and almonds, certain varieties of cherries, peaches, and grapes face high risk.
The frost may damage autumn crops, freeze rapeseed, and significantly reduce the yields of wheat and second-group crops that farmers recently sowed. Sugar beet sowings are also at risk,” Slusari explained.
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According to the politician, after three consecutive years of drought, Moldovan farmers now face the risk of a new major crisis caused by frost.
The current president of the “Farmers’ Force” association, Alexandru Branza, estimates damages will be considerable. He said farmers need a few days of warmer temperatures to assess the extent of the frost’s impact.
“Talking about the Ungheni region, we’ve had two consecutive days with -5°C. It might take a miracle for perennial crops like orchards to escape the damage,” Branza told Realitatea.
Meteorologists issued a yellow warning for sudden weather changes across Moldova from April 5 to 9. Forecasts predict night and morning temperatures could fall to -5°C on Tuesday and Wednesday.