The desire of producers and the municipal leadership of Kyustendil is to build a missile site in the city to fight hail. The town hall is planning a meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture. Kyustendil has long been known as the orchard of Bulgaria, but despite this, over the years no steps have been taken to build such a site, reports Nova TV.
When the sky frowns and the clouds thicken, a farmer cannot rest easy, because then the likelihood of hail increases. And this reduces the chances of a good harvest. “I have cherries, apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches. All kinds of vegetables. And when the hail hits, the damage is usually great”, local farmers say.
In order to guarantee some protection from hailstones, Mayor Ognyan Atanasov initiated a meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture. “Climatic conditions are changing, the climate is changing. Years ago there might not have been a need when mapped. To date, there is a need. Proof of this is the presence of a private investor who built such a system with gas rockets for his cherry orchard and managed to protect a large part of his garden. This is indicative that there is already a need here, we also have statistics from the Metrology Agency, which shows the intensity of the hail. It is extremely important for us, as the insurers run away from the responsibility to pay out”, explains the mayor of the city.
According to Dimitar Sotirov, the insurers are cunning by coming out with the explanation that even if the fruits are damaged, they can be used. “Most often they say “You will sell the damaged crop for brandy, and you will still have some income. It's not a 100% damage”. But nobody buys spoiled fruit,”, he is categorical.
During the last few years, even the rains cause damage, because they fall in too large quantities, in the most unsuitable period for cherries. This damages the fruits and they rot. And if hail also falls, the whole campaign is doomed to failure.