At Wiira Farm in Tartu County, strawberries are being grown on around two hectares of land, evenly divided between the Asia and Falco varieties. However, the farm has lost up to 40 percent of the Falco plants planted last year due to the rainy summer.

"How much harvest they will produce this year is a question mark. That means the income will not be what was planned. Loans have been taken for spring planting with the expectation that they could be repaid toward the end of the summer, but now all of that is being pushed into next year," said Wiira farm owner Erle Hermann.

The Estonian Berry Growers Association board member and Laari Farm owner, Kadri Nebokat, said there are also moisture-damaged fields elsewhere in Estonia. The extent of the damage depends on when the plants were planted, how much moisture there was in the fields last year, and also on the strawberry varieties.

For example, at Joosepi Farm in Põlva County, strawberry plants in flooded fields have died.

"A summer like last year, when plantations were practically underwater, had a very negative effect. Our Asia fields suffered the most last year and were left underwater. Fifty percent of them have definitely died off. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, were spent on the new plantations that were established. If half of that is wiped out, it is quite a substantial loss — and not only strawberries, but other crops as well. Garden peas and potatoes were practically 90 percent underwater, and that is all lost harvest," said Joosepi farm marketing and sales manager Ranet Roositalu.

As a result, Joosepi Farm's harvest will also be smaller than expected this summer.

Nebokat said it is still too early to assess the damage at her farm. Some plants are currently in poorer condition, but the overall picture is not alarming.

"Unfortunately, because we have had three relatively difficult years due to the weather, the plants themselves are not the strongest; they are not quite what they would be under a perfect combination of good conditions. The harvest potential is not 100 percent. Right now, it is around 75 percent, nothing too fundamental," she said.

Although this year's strawberry harvest will be smaller than expected for several growers, producers say prices may not necessarily be higher this summer as a result.

Erle Hermann, owner of Wiira Farm, said imported strawberries may keep the prices down and it is difficult to predict the weather in the coming weeks.

The first strawberries are expected at the beginning of June.

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