North America Edition
Strawberry growers are warning New Zealanders of a shortage this Christmas. After parts of the North Island were hit with heavy rain, strong winds and high humidity earlier this month, the growers were left with a large amount of rotten and bruised crop.
Lewis Farms strawberry grower Cam Lewis: “This is certainly our worst year.” The Levin farm lost between 30 to 40 per cent of their December strawberry crop because of the weather conditions in the Horowhenua region.
“The main growing regions of strawberries in New Zealand are the Waikato and Auckland, and they still predominantly grow outside because the climate up there is perfect for growing outside," Lewis said. "I understand some of them have lost up to 80 per cent of their crop and to be honest, I think some of them have completely closed their doors for the season.”
As a result of the shortage, Countdown and Foodstuffs are warning customers that strawberries will be a bit more expensive this year.
Source: 1news.co.nz
