NZ: Volumes, quality high for cherry season
North Island cherry grower Jerf van Beek says a warm, relatively dry summer has made it a “very good season” for New Zealand.
“We’re in El Niño at the moment, which has meant warm, dry weather through most of the season, so quality is up and volume is up,” he says.
“There was only a bit of disruptive weather for us around New Year’s Eve and then last week – just a few showers - but up til then it’s been great.”
Mr van Beek’s Ruby Pearl cherry orchard is based in the Hawkes Bay region, with varieties including Sonnet, Lapin and Stella, and is solely focused on the domestic market.
“We have seven hectares of cherries, so we mainly supply major cities like Auckland, and then some more local suppliers on the east coast of the North Island.”
He says the positive results for growers this season have influenced market demand and pricing, despite a late start to the season.
“It’s been a very good season, but a late season by a couple of weeks for the North Island,” he says.
“For us, Christmas is like Chinese New Year to the companies that export – you want to have a good supply before then. Because it was a later season we kind of overshot the mark, but there’s still good supply, good quality and really good market prices.”
He says the Hawkes Bay region typically produces around 100 tonnes of cherries for the local market and expects the volumes to be higher this season, both on the North and South Islands.
The latest data from Summerfruit New Zealand shows the country sold 4922 tonnes of cherries in 2014-15, with 60.7% going to export markets and the remaining 30.3% sold domestically.
The cherry season in New Zealand typically runs from mid-November up to February, depending on the region.
“We finished up on New Year this season,” Mr van Beek says.
For more information:
Jerf van Beek
Ruby Pearl Cherries
Tel: +64 687 99708
Email: jerf.vanbeek@hortnz.co.nz