Dutch Cherry growers benefit from European downpour

The recent downpours have been good for many Dutch cherry growers. Due to the fact that in some European countries the cherry harvest was severely damaged, growers can get their fruit sold. This information comes from Monday's Volkskrant and the Dutch Fruit Growers Association (NFO).

Dutch export always does well in years when there is a lot of rain," says Frederik Bunt, chairman of the association. It is mostly Dutch growers that have roofing against the rain that are reaping the benefits. Due to rain in the Netherlands approximately thirty percent of the unharvested cherries are lost, estimates Bunt.

In some other European countries that percentage is much higher, says Bunt. In Belgium, at least eighty percent of the cherries did not survive due to the northern weather. For the more southern countries - who, in a good year, produce seven thousand tons of cherries - this is the fourth time in ten years that the cherry harvest will not be met.

The Netherlands is a small but growing player in the cherry market. According to the NFO six hundred tons of cherries were produced in 2012, this is approximately three times as much as ten years ago. Mediterranean countries grow the most cherries and rarely lose their harvest. Turkey leads the region with four hundred thousand tons a year.