Washington state has not been so lucky this year, after recently being hit with a big frost at the beginning of last week with temperatures as low as 24 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 Celsius). According to Rick Chong from Sutherland SA, it is too early to say how much damage it will be, but after reports of this year having the biggest crop in history, a certain amount of damage might actually be good news for growers when it comes to pricing.
The harvest in Washington is expected to be a week later than last year, around June 4, the gap will help both California and Washington, once they start their season. British Columbia's cherry harvest is also expected to start a week later than usual, around the 20th of June.
Due to extra plantings coming into production this year in both Washington and Canada, initial expectations were around 30 million boxes, but this amount is expected to be lower in the wake of the recent frost. Even still, a 30% increase in tonnage is expected for Canada this year. However, most of the fruit being planted are late varieties so they should not see much overlap with Washington.
For
more information:Rick Chong
Sutherland SA Produce
Tel: +1 403 616 1977
Email: [email protected]
www.lapincherry.com
www.cherrysnobs.com
