Crimean gardeners are again ahead of everyone - the cherries ripened half a month earlier
Cherry harvesting in Crimean orchards began two weeks early . This is due to the early spring and hot start to summer. Previously, farmers on the peninsula had outpaced Kuban in strawberry harvesting.
The first varieties are already ready to be picked from the trees, even though the berries haven't yet had time to gain sweetness, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
In Crimea, only 530 hectares of 15 hectares of orchards are planted with cherries. Last year, 1,7 tons of cherry fruit were harvested, most of which was shipped to large retail chains on the mainland. Cherries from small farms and neighboring regions, which are still in the process of establishing harvesting and storage systems that meet Russian retail standards, are entering the Crimean market.
First, the berries are sorted immediately upon picking . The senior picker has a special calibrator with holes ranging from 18 to 32 mm in diameter . Early varieties are similar in size but are in high demand. Second, the cherries are refrigerated immediately after harvest to cool and prevent them from leaking during transport.
The mass cherry harvest will begin in a couple of weeks, and then the price will drop. Currently, wholesale prices start at 100 rubles per kilo and can reach up to 300 rubles, depending on the variety.
"For agricultural producers, a fair price is one that covers their costs and allows for a minimum level of profitability to support further business development, equipment modernization, and expansion of acreage. At the beginning of the harvest season, the price is slightly higher because supply is lower than demand. But once we reach the midpoint of the harvest season in a few weeks, the price of cherries is expected to become more affordable for consumers ," explained Nikolai Tyutyunik, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Crimea.
Unlike the apple orchards, the cherry orchards were not damaged by the May frosts . Agricultural enterprises use underground wells and retention ponds for irrigation . Drip irrigation systems are no longer a novelty. New developments include hail nets, which are being stretched across the entire orchard to prevent damage to the crop. However, heavy rains and thunderstorms are not currently threatening Crimea – the region is expected to experience unusually hot weather for at least another week.
"Weather permitting, we'll harvest the crop two weeks earlier . Our branch has 40 hectares of cherry orchards; last year we harvested 380 tons, and this year, I think we'll harvest 410 tons . We have 12 varieties, all Italian-bred. They're stronger than our Melitopol-bred varieties, and we use their rootstock as well. The cherries have been bearing fruit actively for at least 15 years ," noted Alexey Antonenko, branch manager of a Crimean fruit company.
Since the beginning of June, the orchard's work schedule has shifted from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The company needs an additional 200 people for the harvest . For several years now, harvesters from Dagestan have been coming to Crimea under contract —entire villages of their own—to work, leaving their children and elders to tend to the crops. A shift yields around 100 kg, a salary of 2,000 rubles . They live near the orchard in special modular dormitories. Meals, travel, and accommodations are covered by the employer.
"They're currently cherry picking for a month, then they'll go home and return when the apple harvest begins . We have 250 hectares of apple orchards, so that's where you can make money. Some skilled workers pick several tons of apples a day ," noted Svetlana Petrova, head of the picking team.
The largest areas of cherry orchards are located in the Bakhchisaray, Krasnogvardeisky, Nizhnegorsky, and Chernomorsky districts. Harvesting is scheduled to be completed in the second half of July.
Crimean gardeners are ahead of everyone else again – cherries ripened half a month earlier