A cherry producer from the "El Oasis" cooperative, Federico Guerendiain, rated the production this season as "the worst in 20 years." With the harvest almost finished at Los Antiguos, Argentina, producers are feeling the impact of an early October frost in the region.
For Guerendiain, the late frost is the main reason why the "El Oasis" cooperative, formed by 14 producers, could only load two trucks. The volume, estimated at around 36,000 kilos, will be shipped to Buenos Aires and is intended for both export and the local market. These are definitely bad figures, as the same cooperative shipped nine trucks last season.
"Last season we managed to have a shipment ready in three days, this time it took two weeks, from 22 December to 3 January. This proves how low the production was," explains Guerendiain.
With these results, not only producers will suffer losses, but also every sector depending directly or indirectly from the cherry harvest. Among those are the harvest labourers who arrived from Mendoza or Tucumán, many of whom had to request the assistance of their employers to be able to return home or move to other fruit-harvesting areas.
Guerendiain assured that no help was granted from either the national or the regional government, and recalled the broken promises regarding a new packing plant; a project approved in 2005 which never became a reality.
General decline
The producer confirmed that other cherry production areas, such as Chile Chico or Trelew, also faced difficulties due to adverse weather conditions. In the case of Trelew, the drop in production volumes reached 20%, but in Los Antiguos it surpassed 50%.
In addition to frosts, there were also really warm days in November, which forced producers to advance the harvest by almost two weeks. Those assisting the National Cherry Festival, planned for 11, 12 and 13 January, will find lower supplies of Los Antiguos' flagship product.
Due to this low production, fewer volumes of maraschino cherries, which are used in confectionary, will have to be produced. Afterwards, the growing cycle will begin again with the pruning and fertilisation, hoping that the weather will allow for a better harvest next time.
Source: Laopinionaustral