Snowfall in Korça endangers the agricultural sector/ What field specialists suggest

2025-03-19 11:08:00, Sociale CNA

Snowfall in Korça endangers the agricultural sector/ What field

The snowfall that fell yesterday in Korça, accompanied by a significant drop in temperatures, has affected the agricultural sector, especially agricultural crops.

According to Arben Hysolli, a specialist at the Directorate of Agriculture in Korça, the damage caused depends on several main factors.

Snowfall in Korça endangers the agricultural sector/ What field

Among the crops most at risk under these conditions are almonds, peaches, apricots and cherries, especially early cherry cultivars, which may suffer serious damage. The situation is currently being monitored and an accurate assessment of the damage is expected within the next 72 hours.

Snowfall in Korça endangers the agricultural sector/ What field

"Yesterday's snowfall was also accompanied by a drop in temperatures, which reached -5.2/-6 degrees Celsius. The damage caused by the drop in temperatures depends on a number of factors, which are the duration of the minimum temperature, how far this minimum temperature has reached, the species or cultivar of the agricultural crop, as well as the phenological phase in which the agricultural crop is located.

As mentioned above, the most at risk in these frosty weather conditions are the core crops, such as almonds, peaches, apricots, cherries, we are talking about early cherry cultivars which are more at risk of serious damage. We are monitoring the situation and for a damage assessment we will need about 72 hours to determine the exact extent of damage to these agricultural crops", said Hysolli.

Snowfall in Korça endangers the agricultural sector/ What field

On the other hand, extreme weather is becoming more frequent as a result of climate change and global warming, often finding farmers unprepared for such situations. In these cases, the creation of smoke fog to raise the temperature in certain areas is recommended as a preventive measure.

Another method used is the use of centrifugal pumps, which create air currents and can help increase the temperature, protecting crops from frost damage.

Snowfall in Korça endangers the agricultural sector/ What field

"To tell the truth, in cases of extreme weather conditions, the frequency of extreme weather events has increased due to global warming. As such, farmers are sometimes unprepared for these situations, but in terms of technical advice, at the moment we are talking, they are lighting fires by creating smoke fog, with improvised means that farmers may have such as wet straw, wet cardboard, shards, improvised means to create this smoke fog. Centrifugal pumps can also be used here, which create air currents, which adjust the temperature by up to 3 degrees," said Hysolli.

After verifications, in the coming days in the southeast, the extent of the damage and the specific villages in which this situation has been created for farmers will be determined./CNA