About twelve fruit farmers at Lofthus in Hardanger have been affected by the storm that suddenly hit Lofthus in Hardanger on Sunday. Just after At 13.00 it rained heavily for several minutes, before hail came in the rain for about a minute. The large hailstones hit the fruit area of Eidnes and Helleland. Hail may have caused damage worth several million kroner. Photo: Gaute Sekse The storm has caused great damage and many of the crops have been destroyed. It is likely to be worth millions of kroner. Probably lost 1 million within a couple of minutes – It was not pleasant to witness the storm that came, says fruit farmer Halldor E. Eidnes. This is how it looked at Jåstad on the west side of Sørfjorden in Hardanger. The expected harvest before the storm came was close to 100 tonnes in total. But within a few minutes he witnessed how hailstones as big as marbles destroyed plums and apples worth over a million kroner. He believes values of somewhere between 7-10 million have been lost in the area. – In addition comes the loss of the subsidy, which we are completely dependent on in order to finance our productions, he explains. – When the majority smoke, it goes without saying that it is brutal. Don’t know the extent of the damage Ullensvang fruit warehouse informs news that about 12 farmers have been injured. These occur in the area from the north of Opedal to Ernes. In some areas in Eidnes, Helleland, some crops are completely damaged. If there is a hole in the peel as a result of the hail, diseases can occur in the apple. In any case, there can be unsightly damage to the shell, explains Knut B. Hauso in Vestland farmers’ association. Photo: Gaute Sekse The fruit warehouse does not yet have an overview of how big the damage is in terms of volume, says Aina Frøynes, acting day-to-day manager of the fruit warehouse. According to researcher Erik Kolstad in Norce climate, it is the warm temperatures that are the cause of the torrential rain. – This is nothing new, but we see more of it now, it comes more often and it is more intense when it comes, says Kolstad. Knut Byrkjenes Hauso in the Vestland farmer’s association says the hail moved like a cloud pump and that it moved very quickly. – It was very random when it hit. Either one has had very bad luck, or luck, he says. He says it is a broken situation for those who have been hurt. Although there are compensation schemes, it is a property of 30 per cent. – There will never be good enough compensation schemes as long as you have to sit with an asset, so here the farmers are taking a considerable risk themselves. Hail may have caused damage worth several million kroner. Photo: Gaute Sekse He says it is important that farmers report the damage after hail storms. Hope and believe they will get help Fruit farmer Halldor E. Eidnes has never experienced anything like this before: – Of course there have been hailstorms, but not at this time of year. There have never been such big hail before either. Nine years ago, the area was hit by extreme winds. Then the damage was even worse than at the weekend, says Eidnes. – It is demanding to experience something like this. We hope and expect that we will get some help to provide some of the needs, he says.
ttn-69