Freezing temperatures have caused extensive damage to cherry production in the Uco Valley in Argentina's central Mendoza region, where the trees were already well into the flowering stage.

Economic Federation of Mendoza (FEM) vice president Alberto Carletti, who is also a cherry grower, told www.freshfruitportal.com it was a 'complicated' situation.

"This year the trees entered the flowering stage around 20 days earlier than last year, and the flowers on the majority of trees had either fully opened or had a substantial proportion of open flowers, depending on the variety," he said.

Of Argentina's approximately 2,500 hectares of cherry production, up to 1,100 hectares are to be found in Mendoza, and more than half of those are in the Uco Valley.

Carletti said temperatures had recently hit as low as -5°C (23°F), and therefore had greatly affected the trees.

The representative explained it was too early to quantify the damage, but believed it would be extensive.

"What we can see is that the lower parts of the plants have been most heavily affected. There is damage of varying degrees, and it is going to be very serious because the frosts were severe," he said.

The biggest market for Mendoza cherries is Europe, where the U.K. receives the largest volumes.

According to Carlos Stabile of Samconsult, whose company grows cherries further south in Patagonia but is still connected to growers in the region, told www.freshfruitportal.com the Mendoza cherry trees were in pre-flowering at the time of the frost which occurred over 10 successive nights.

He said temperatures reached low peaks of -7°C (44.6°F) and -°9 (48.2°F) over the period.

"Still, everyone or almost everyone there had sprinklers and they could be controlled adequately," Stabile said.

Losing ground to wine

Carletti added the Mendoza cherry industry had been shrinking over recent years to make way for wine grape production.

"Vineyards have also been growing in other provinces like Neuquen and Rio Negro, where the wine grape industry has also been growing," he said.

"High quality Argentine wines, especially Malbec, have been growing in popularity around the world and that has meant there are now more vineyards in areas where there were once cherry farms."

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