Mike Renouard, business unit director at The Jersey Royal Company, said that farmers were hoping for a period of rain to help with the growth of their crop. Jake Stolte reports in Jersey Evening Post that cool and dry conditions over the last two weeks are slowing down the growing process, forcing farmers to irrigate their fields.
The Island is set to officially move into an absolute drought on today (26 April) – marked by 15 consecutive days without significant rainfall.
Mr Renouard said: “It has been really dry recently and unfortunately it doesn’t look like there is going to be any significant rain for some time. This continued dry spell could impact the quantity of potatoes being lifted. We’re currently lifting around 250 tonnes a week. This usually reaches up to 1,500 tonnes in the height of the season. However, these numbers could be affected if we don’t see rain soon.”
Source: Jersey Evening Post. Full story here
Photo: Potato fields being irrigated in St Clement on Tuesday (20 April). | Jon Guegan
