Australia's cherry growers have suffered a disappointing season; cold and wet weather across Australia pummeled farms in September leaving producers with a significantly smaller than expected harvest for 2016. This means that the price of cherries could soar by more than $5 a kilogram.
Australian Cherry Growers Association president Tom Eastlake said he had never seen a harvest this bad.
'We are in uncharted territory at the moment, crops have never been this low. But the quality is good and customers who love cherries will pay more,' Mr Eastlake said.
Mr Eastlake said farmers around the country could harvest 9,000 tonnes of the fruit, half of the 18,000 tonnes that was expected.
'It's going to be tough for farmers to make a profit because the yield is so low,' he said.
But he encourages consumers to buy cherries and support the Australian cherry farmers.
'Assuming the good weather patterns hold, we’re going to see some of the best fruit we’ve ever produced in Australia and the fruit size is going to big this year,' he added.
Mr Eastlake also said there would certainly be cherries available between November and February.
He also said the $5 extra price projection, reported by The Daily Telegraph, was in no way certain, despite a significantly smaller than expected harvest for 2016.
Also affected by the storms were potato crops in farms across southern New South Wales and Victoria, which has caused a shortage of supply that could last until the next season.
Source - http://www.freshplaza.com
