Grapes affected by white powdery mildew. «traumatized» the French growers, who this summer lost 90% of the crop due to mold.
French authorities considered this service necessary after unusually hot and humid weather destroyed a number of vineyards in Bordeaux. region.
The crop failures have left farmers feeling «depressed» and overestimating the viability of their farms, industry experts said.
Nicolas Moraine, who has worked with the hotline since it launched on Wednesday, said the wife of one grower called him at tears. “These calls are coming from people who are really in distress,” said Mr. Moraine of agricultural organization MSA Gironde.
“Our goal is to listen to them first, give them the opportunity to share their difficulties, and then help them run a business and also help them on a psychological level.”
“Some growers have already lost everything,” the Gironde Chamber of Agriculture said in a statement. “In the memory of winemakers, we have never seen this: mildew this year did not spare anyone and took on an unprecedented scale.”
Some hotline operators are social workers. Those who work on the phone are being urged to help manufacturers organize holidays to take a break from work, Mr Moraine said. He added that callers who need professional help will be referred to professional psychologists, he added.
The mold first attacks twigs and leaves, then spreads to bunches of grapes and dries the fruit.
In addition to the rapid growth of plants, the unseasonably tropical weather in Bordeaux also contributed to the uncontrolled spread of mold, — explained Laurent Bernos, head of viticulture and winemaking at the Chamber of Agriculture of the Gironde.
>Merlot varieties were most affected
Merlot grapes were the hardest hit, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon. White varieties such as Sauvignon and Semillon were largely unaffected.
“It's a bit like natural disasters,” Mr. Bernos said. «It's a combination of various factors that create the perfect storm.»
Another setback is that 10,000 hectares of vineyards in the region must be uprooted after this year's harvest to address overproduction and declining yields . demand.
“After all these successive crises, this is the straw that broke the camel's back,” said Mr. Moraine. «We're coming into a real situation of extreme crisis.»
Mr. Moraine said he's heard from growers who overestimate their careers because of mold.
«They' again questioning their professionalism. They do not understand why, having done everything they could, following all the instructions, the fungus took over. There is a deep sense that they have missed something.”
Severe storms
Allan Sichel, president of the Interprofessional Council of Bordeaux Wines (CIVB), which represents vintners, producers and traders in the region, said farmers were frustrated by severe storms that prevented them from farming. , he works hard, he gets up at any time of the day or night to go and protect his vines, and then, in spite of all this, they can lose complete control. Disease wins despite their best efforts. This is a very traumatic moment for growers who are suffering.”
But Mr. Sichel was also more optimistic about the overall outlook, pointing out that the analysis of the Chamber of Agriculture is based on testing only 86 control lots, while 110,000 hectares of vineyards cover this area, and that extreme weather events these days can affect some areas more than others.
“It is unprecedented that weather forecasts have become much less reliable and predictable than in the past.”< /p>
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