Extreme weather, rising wage and energy costs, staff shortages: Hessen's cherry farmers are increasingly under pressure.

"The number of fruit-growing companies in general and also of cherry-growing farms is continuously decreasing," says Andreas Klein from the Hessian State Association for Commercial Fruit Growing.

The minimum wage is a big problem. From September onwards, farmers have to pay their harvest workers twelve euros an hour.

"For many people, this is simply not feasible, and some just fall by the wayside," says Klein.

In addition, after two difficult Corona years, there is currently uncertainty as to whether the mostly Polish harvest workers can come to Germany against the background of the war in Ukraine.

"We heard that the men had been written to be ready for military service to help deal with the flow of refugees," reports Klein.

In Hesse, three growing areas in particular play a major role: the self-proclaimed "Kirschenland" around Witzenhausen in the Werra-Meißner district in North Hesse, as well as Wiesbaden-Frauenstein and Friedberg-Ockstadt, the "Kirschendorf" in Wetterau.

The problems of the local fruit growers are similar.

Fertilizer prices have tripled

In addition to wage and personnel issues, they are primarily burdened by rising fertilizer, energy and fuel prices.

“Fertilizer prices have tripled compared to last year, if you can get any at all.

Now the energy and fuel prices are rising so much that we will no longer be able to sell a kilo of cherries for five euros this year,” says Steffen Rehde.

The 36-year-old farmer is the fourth generation to run a fruit-growing business in Friedberg-Ockstadt.

The past year has already been difficult.

Due to the weather, he only had half the usual yield, reports Rehde.

He doesn't know how much longer he can hold out.

"My heart is in the company.

But at some point I won't be able to pay for it anymore.” He demands support from politicians.

A strategy is needed so that the farmers can live off their farms.

"I just want to be able to get by," says Rehde.

Stefan Arnsteiner from Hof ​​Rosenköppel in Wiesbaden-Frauenstein is also concerned.

It is difficult to compensate for the rising costs.

"We can't just increase prices at will," says the 53-year-old man.

Nobody buys a kilogram of cherries for ten euros anymore, especially not when Turkish or Spanish cherries are available at a fraction of the price.

"We're clearly at a competitive disadvantage.

Good quality can also be produced there much more cheaply.”

In addition to plums and apricots, Berit Diegmann mainly grows sweet cherries at the Kiebe fruit farm.

Her farm is the largest and now the only full-time farm in the Witzenhausen region.

She too is struggling with competition from Turkey.

"Consumers expect Turkish standards," says the 46-year-old woman.

Customers wanted big cherries.

A fruit must measure at least 26 millimeters, with 28 to 30 millimeters being ideal.

“Every millimeter means more money.

But we can only do that with a lot of additional irrigation.” Diegmann installed a complex irrigation system for this purpose.

Cherries are stolen by the sack

The fruit farmer complains that the clearly restricted use of pesticides is also a problem.

Bans on the use of certain biocides made it difficult to control insects such as the cherry fruit fly and the spotted drosophila.

"There are no non-chemical means for this." The alternative of covering the plantation with a net costs around 80,000 euros per hectare.

On the approximately 20 hectares on which Diegmann grows cherries, that is not affordable.

Not inconsiderable damage is also caused by cherry thieves.

The fruit trees are sometimes stolen in sacks, and the trees are often damaged, reports Diegmann.

A problem that the cherry farmers in Central Hesse are also familiar with.

They have had their trees guarded by private detectives for several years.

“Two detectives are on duty again this season,” reports Rehde.

Because of all these problems and hurdles, the number of cherry-growing companies in Witzenhausen has steadily decreased in recent years, says Charlotte Graulich from the Geo-Nature Park Frau-Holle-Land.

"In the 1950s there were around 800 companies, today there are still 30 active." Many areas are no longer cultivated and lie fallow.

In order to maintain and promote cultivation in the region, she works together with the fruit growers to give the Witzenhausen cherries a new boost.

Among other things, it is planned to submit an application for registration of a protected designation of origin to the European Union.

"Then the Witzenhausen cherry could soon join the ranks of Black Forest ham, Nuremberg gingerbread and Spreewald gherkins."