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Munich (dpa / lby) - Hundreds of winegrowers and fruit growers in Bavaria have insured themselves against weather risks with a funding program from the Ministry of Agriculture.
As the ministry announced on Sunday, the program is "off to a good start".
By the beginning of March, 450 winegrowers and fruit growers had already submitted an application for funding.
The pilot project subsidizes the premiums for protection against heavy frost, storms or heavy rain with up to 50 percent.
According to the ministry, it is possible to take out insurance against individual risks or a combination of several risks.
Funding is only given, however, from a cultivation area of at least 0.3 hectares per crop group such as pome and stone fruit or grapes.
The funding applications for this year could be submitted until March 1st.
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Around 3000 hectares of cultivation area have now been insured.
“Every fourth hectare of the acreage was insured with it.
This is a great success for our new special program, ”said Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber (CSU).
This shows that “fruit growers and winegrowers are ready to protect themselves against the increasing weather risks”.
The program promotes the insurance of 33 percent of the strawberry, 31 percent of the viticulture and twelve percent of the fruit-growing areas in Bavaria.
In this way, "winemakers and fruit growers particularly affected by weather risks" could be helped, said Kaniber.
But climate change affects all hosts.
She is therefore campaigning for a “funding program to insure weather-related crop risks for the whole of agriculture” at the federal level, the minister said.
In a second step, the applicants would now submit a multiple application and provide evidence of the area and use of the area to be insured.
Every year 1.5 million euros should flow so that those affected can take out the sometimes cost-intensive insurance.
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In Franconia, frost and drought last year gave winemakers the smallest harvest in 35 years.
According to the wine-growing president Artur Steinmann, late frosts can affect the freshly sprouted vines in the spring in such a way that the yield for a winemaker is significantly affected over the next three years.
There are around 3500 winegrowers in Franconia who cultivate more than 6000 hectares of wine.
Tree fruits as well as strawberries and bush berries are professionally planted on around 5900 hectares.
This only includes holdings that cultivate more than half a hectare.
The late frosts last spring had hit them too hard.
The Franconian Fruit Growers Association spoke of a loss of up to 30 percent.
Records from the State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture since 1968 have confirmed that the vines were sprouting earlier and earlier.
Late frosts affect the already well-developed plants - up to a total failure.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210307-99-724730 / 2
Effects of climate change - information material from the State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture
Studies on prevention of late frost damage
Final report of a LWG report on late frosts
Information about the fruit harvest in Bavaria 2020