Upcoming forecasts for snow in Ontario are a welcome sight for the province’s apple growers. “We were concerned earlier in the winter that things were too warm, but they have cooled off and the 14-day forecast into March looks cool with some snow. We’re always glad to see the white stuff in our orchards in March to slow down the spring progression,” says grower Cathy McKay, chair of the Ontario Apple Growers.
In the meantime, supplies are still strong for good quality Ontario apples out of controlled atmosphere storage. “We had a larger crop this year but the movement has been strong and steady. We will have Ontario-grown apples available into June and July,” says McKay. Supplies are still good on Gala, Ambrosia and Honeycrisp as well as McIntosh, Reds and Empire.
Strong spring demand expected
Top varieties such as Honeycrisp continue to see strong demand and movement remains steady for other varieties such as McIntosh, Reds and Empires. “We expect continued strong movement into the spring months,” says McKay. “March is Nutrition Month in Canada and we have March Break in Ontario as well.”
At the same time, generally higher grocery prices mean consumers are being more cautious about when they buy apples though McKay says the price to growers has not changed from last year. Of course, the cost of production has also increased by many percentage points. “There is some concern by the marketers/packers that there is a segment of our population that will start to see apples as a luxury and may become hesitant to buy them regularly,” she says. “However, we have apples that are accessible at a moderate price if consumers are willing to buy some of the older varieties or fruit that is not perfect. So far, consumers are still enjoying apples.” She also adds it’s important to remind consumers about the availability of local apples at this time of year, particularly since Southern hemisphere apples will soon be ready as well.
For more information:
Cathy McKay
Ontario Apple Growers
Tel: +1 (905) 440-0966
naturesbounty@xplornet.com
www.onapples.com