Sun-Kissed Strawberry Harvest Kicks Off in Thuringia's Red Fields
Initial harvest of strawberries in Thuringia realized - Initial gathering of strawberries in Thuringia accomplished
Get ready, strawberry lovers! Thuringia's strawberry season is here, and it's bursting with fruitiness thanks to the sunshine and relatively cool temperatures. This agricultural powerhouse, nestled in the heart of central Germany, is renowned for its bountiful fruit production.
According to the Thuringian Ministry of Agriculture, a whopping 16 farming operations are growing strawberries on around 141 hectares of land, although 54 hectares of new plantings won't be harvested this year. Thuringia may only claim roughly 1% of Germany's total strawberry growing area, but they still managed to produce over 673 tonnes last year, all grown by local farmers.
Before the start of the season, Agricultural State Secretary Marcus Malsch highlighted some concerns faced by the farming community. These obstacles range from escalating production costs to increased competition within Europe. Despite aggressive production cuts, the strawberry remains a shining symbol of Thuringia's thriving fruit and vegetable industry.
"The increasing minimum wage is a major challenge for a crop that can only be hand-harvested," explained Malsch. To tackle this issue, growers are adopting more efficient production methods and extending the harvest period through the use of foil cultivation. While regional products deserve our appreciation, they do come at a price, Malsch pointed out.
Notably, Germany's cultivation area for strawberries has decreased since 2015. In Thuringia, open-field strawberry production has dropped by a staggering 62% in this period. Although the expansion of protected cultivation under foil or in greenhouses has helped somewhat, it hasn't fully offset the overall decline.
One of the largest strawberry producers is Erdbeerhof Gebesee, which grows strawberries in both open fields and under foil tunnels. With around 90 full-time workers expected during the harvest season, their fruits are marketed through food retailers, as well as through sales stands and farm shops.
The state government aims to ease the burden on the agricultural sector. Measures such as the bureaucracy hotline, the voluntary nature of the land register, or the pact for growth and jobs are intended to alleviate the bureaucratic load and free up resources for cost savings and investments in the long run.
- Strawberry season
- Thuringia
- Strawberry
- Spring
- Minimum wage
- Labor costs
- Production cuts
- The following are to be added to the list of products: spring strawberry harvest in Thuringia, a region renowned for its bountiful strawberry production.
- This year, the strawberry season in Thuringia is expected to see growth due to the increased acreage dedicated to strawberry cultivation.
- Malsch, the Agricultural State Secretary, emphasized the impact of the minimum wage and labor costs on the strawberry farming community, calling for more efficient production methods and extended harvest periods.
- As part of its efforts to support the agricultural sector, the Thuringian government has implemented measures such as a pact for growth and jobs, aiming to ease the burden on strawberry producers and promote long-term cost savings and investments.
