Cherry season not so ripe for SA growers
Cherry season not so ripe for SA growers
Cherry prices in South Australia are set to spike by up to 40 per cent this Christmas with crops spoiled by fluctuating weather.
A mild winter and cold patches during spring have hampered growing conditions.
Cherry framer John Cowling said he has never seen it worse.
“It’s a disaster, we’ll just have to go to the bank and see if we can finance ourselves for another 12 months,” he said.
Mr Cowling said he can produce 20 tonnes of cherries in a good year, but this year he can’t even fill a single punnet.
He said 75 per cent of the trees at his 30-hectare Norton Summit property have produced nothing.
The Cherry Growers Association is expecting a 60 per cent drop on last year’s harvest, while consumers will be paying top dollar for the fruit this Christmas.
Last year cherries were sold for between $8 and $15 a kilo, but this year they could be priced as high as $21 a kilo.
