Strawberry harvesting is in full swing in Østfold, Vestfold and Rogaland, Norway. Strawberry grower Geir Joa in Rogaland has set a new record. In the last weeks of May, he sold more than 22,000 punnets of strawberries. He grows his strawberries in his greenhouse and in production tunnels. People are also busy picking strawberries in Sarpsborg and Østfold. The long, warm period means strawberries are ripe earlier than normally. Last weekend, these strawberries were already in shops in the southeast of Norway.
According to the chairperson of the agrarian interest group Norges Bondelag, Lars Petter Bartnes, it could turn into a short strawberry season due to the heat. “A period with high temperatures and little precipitation means strawberries will be ripe sooner, and that could have consequences for the quantities. It all depends on weather circumstances in coming weeks,” he says.
Atle Olsen, product manager fruit and vegetables for Coop, reports Norwegian strawberries will be widely available throughout the country as of this week. “The first strawberries come from Sarpsborg. We can immediately supply these to shops in Oslo and Østfold.”
Source: www.h-avis.no