In early April, it was all hands on deck on Dutch and Belgian cherry farms. The frost caused sleepless nights for growers protecting the early varieties from damage by stoking, among other things. Yet it seems the frost is not local cherry growers' biggest headache.

The persistent cold, dark weather is proving to be the primary stumbling block. "There wasn't all that much frost damage, and I don't consider that an immediate problem. The lingering low temperatures are, however, causing quite a delay," begins Diether Everaerts of the Belgische Fruit Veiling (BFV).

That means the Belgian cherry season will start ten to 14 days later than in previous years. "The buds usually begin blooming in mid-April, but it's currently much too cold for that to continue. That's very unfortunate. The pesky north-easterly wind means there's little pollination in the early varieties already opened compared to last season. That wind deters much bee activity, so it will be an unusually late season."

"We're expecting the early varieties in late June/early July; the Kordias will move from July 1 to around July 10, followed by Regina. Those are our main varieties anyway, and we'll have them throughout July, with some still in early August. There's really nothing to say about the volumes yet. At least the frost didn't cause any significant damage," Diether explains.

That means the Belgian crop will probably be later than the French cherries. "In France, the situation seems more normal because the weather there is considerably better than the cold weather in northwestern Europe. That has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, our cherries and those from southern countries won't arrive simultaneously. But, since the pandemic, that market's been much quieter in August."

"Wholesalers fill far more of the vacation periods since then, including in France, so the market's much calmer at that time. That may also cause trading to slow down toward our season's end. It, however, remains to be seen whether that will coincide with market volumes. It will be a while before I can give a definite answer," Diether continues.

Organic cherries
In Belgium, the BFV is one of the few companies that brings organic cherries - which it expects to start with about June 15 - to market. Gunther De Vadder: "If the weather gods allow it, of course. We think we'll get roughly 40 tons from our two growers. Organic cherries remain a special story."

"You're very dependent on Mother Nature. Sometimes things go beautifully, and sometimes, it fails miserably. It's very tricky and complex and, thus, a true work of passion. Nonetheless, we expect a wonderful summer product," he concludes.

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com