Late April frosts caused €35M in crop damages

The late April frost in Slovakia, including in the country's lowlands, damaged 70 percent of the expected country's crops, producing a financial loss of €35 million, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Gabriela Matečná (SNS nominee) said at a press briefing at an orchard in Dunajská Lužná (Bratislava region) on Tuesday. "The damage suffered by wine-growers is also high - it's estimated to reach 30-50 percent, in certain areas even as much as 60 percent. Young vines planted only recently are particularly bad off; it's necessary to plant new grafts", said the minister. Apart from wine-makers and fruit-growers, farmers growing sugar beets and maize, for example, have also been affected significantly. "Slovak and European legislation allows the combatting of damages caused to farmers by frost through the allocating of compensation", said Matečná. She added, however, that she any such compensation depends on the state budget.