After the 2021 frost, Gard arborists fear for their buds

That’s it, the buds are coming! But beware of frost, the fatal enemy. If the temperatures are still mild at the end of February, they should be less clement from mid-March. Last year, a “black frost” caused colossal damage to vineyards and tree farms. A single night had sufficed to destroy flowers and budding fruits.

The painful memory of the frost of 2021

Matthieu is an arborist in Bernis, in the costières of Nîmes. He produces apricots on about ten hectares. “The apricot freezes at 0°. Last year, we had down to -6° in some places” testifies the producer. As a result, he lost nearly fifty tons of fruit. A significant financial loss to which is added 10,000 euros of investment to touch its apricot trees. A technique that consists in removing part of the flowers so that the tree gives bigger fruits.

Equipment to fight against frost

A big loss despite the installation of anti-frost equipment. To protect some of his trees, Matthieu used paraffin candles. Installed at the foot of the apricot tree, it raises the temperature by a few degrees. But this one-shot device: around 3,000 euros per hectare for a night of candlelight. For the rest of his plantation, the Bernissois uses water sprinkling. The objective is to sprinkle water on the young fruits when the temperature reaches 0° to create a “shell” of ice. This protection protects the fruit from negative temperatures. “For apricots, below 0°, we have losses” explains the arborist.

Insurance companies that don’t want to take risks

So to further protect themselves, are tree operators covered by insurance? “It’s impossible, answers Matthieu, it costs 50% of what you earn. When you’re a small farmer, the rate is far too high”. For the apricot producer, it is the risks associated with this type of operation that explains this rate. “We may try with the unions to ensure that we want to insure ourselves, but at their current level no insurer wants to take the risk,” he confides.

The first apricots arrive at the end of May, so until then, Matthieu crosses his fingers.