Frosts hamper crops in Chinese growing regions

The frost and snow in North China have damaged dried nuts and fruit trees. The stricken area spreads over walnut and apricot origins such as Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei and Liaoning.

As usual, the weather pattern is cool and unsettled for most of the period in April. However the trees have started to bloom 7-10 days earlier this Spring due to unusual warm/hot weather with temperature of 20-30 degree. The sharp drop in temperature up to minus 4-5 degree all of sudden has severely pounded the blossom and bud as they were just in pollination period.

The damage seems heavy and it is being regarded as one of the most serious over the past 20 years in Shangle/Shaanxi. Due to geographic difference for all origins, we cannot yet evaluate the actual loss, but some estimate about 20-50% depending origin. Hopefully such news will not affect walnut market too much as they only account for 30% of the total production in China, but for for Apricot kernels, it might be another picture as Hebei and Gansu are two top origins.