The recent spell of dry and warm weather in Switzerland could lead to shortages of a number of crops, farmers have warned.

"/> The recent spell of dry and warm weather in Switzerland could lead to shortages of a number of crops, farmers have warned.

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FARMING

Dry weather spell threatens Swiss veggies

The recent spell of dry and warm weather in Switzerland could lead to shortages of a number of crops, farmers have warned.

Dry weather spell threatens Swiss veggies

The pleasant weather enjoyed by Switzerland might have been a boon for most people, but vegetable producers say it will push up the prices of carrots, broccoli, fennel and other produce.

According to the Swiss daily 20 Minuten, some seeds are being damaged by the lack of rain and estimates indicate that the yield this year will be lower than usual.

The 3,300 arable farms in Switzerland produce around 250,000 tonnes of fresh vegetables, mainly carrots, onions, tomatoes and lettuce.

The consequence for consumers is likely to be a spike in vegetable prices. “If the good weather persists, prices will go up in ten days,” Monika Weibel, a spokeswoman for Migros, a local supermarket chain, was quoted as saying by the paper. 

However, other experts say there’s no reason to panic.

Beat Stierli, the director of the Association of Vegetable Growers VSGP told 20 Minuten that good weather provides for optimal growing conditions for some types of crop, such as tomatoes and cucumbers. He also added that favourable conditions have allowed the asparagus season to start earlier than usual.

OFFBEAT

MP up in arms over Swiss military’s choice of wine

Switzerland’s military is facing financial woes— its coffers are short of 1 billion francs to fund new arms purchases. But according to one MP, the army has a more pressing problem right now.

MP up in arms over Swiss military’s choice of wine

On March 30th, a disturbing scene happened at the military base in Thun, in canton Bern.

At a ceremony to which soldiers’ families were invited, Italian wine was served to the guests.

This faux-pas may have remained under wraps and kept as a military secret if it weren’t for the vigilance of one member of the parliament.

But this incident was not lost on MP Yvan Pahud, who, as a member of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, is principally highly critical of any kind of international influence in Switzerland’s internal affairs — be it the country’s ties with the European Union or, in this particular case, foreign wine.

Therefore, as the National Council’s deputies debated various matters of national importance during a special session on April 15th, Pahud brought up the issue of foreign alcoholic beverages served by the army.

He argued that parents and guests who attended the event “were outraged that our Swiss army was promoting foreign wine, when  our country has its own winegrowers.”

The MPs remained neutral on this issue, and the Defence Department has yet to address this hot-button topic.

It is not known if at least some concessions to ‘Swissness’ were made at the event — that is, whether the bottles of Italian wine were uncorked with Swiss army knives.

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