Switzerland: Potatoes also suffer from the high temperatures
Potatoes have been hit hard by the intense heat of recent days. In the canton of Vaud, the situation is becoming critical, worries Sébastien Pasche, vice-president of the Swiss Potato Growers’ Union and a farmer.
"Potatoes no longer grow above 27 degrees. And if you add that to the fact that there’s a lack of water, then they no longer grow," laments Sébastien Pasche, a farmer in Gros-de-Vaud.
Indeed, potatoes are much more fragile than they appear. They need fresh air and water, but cannot withstand extreme heat. In the canton of Vaud, which hasn’t received a drop of rain in recent weeks, except for hail, drought may soon be its end.
There are "two and a half weeks left," explains Sébastien Pasche, hoping for a little rain to come to his rescue. Without it, this farmer could lose up to half of his harvest.
Unprofitable for small producers
Climate change and diseases are making growing this tuber increasingly difficult, especially for small producers.
In the canton of Fribourg, their number has dropped from 360 to 276 in ten years. Some producers have an irrigation system, but they are a minority (less than 15%).
One solution is to develop irrigation: "There are one or two irrigation projects in Broye that are emerging with help from the Confederation and the cantons," Sébastien Pasche explains. A paradoxical situation, because the aim is to irrigate more crops while consuming less water.
Fuente: rts.ch
