Blueberry prices in Australia are expected to remain high following severe flooding in northern New South Wales that damaged crops and cut supply. The out-of-season fruit is now selling for nearly AU$10 (about US$6.70) per punnet in some supermarkets, and prices are unlikely to drop even when the main harvest begins in September.
Flooding in May left thousands of farms inundated, with an estimated 25% of the blueberry crop lost. Rachel Mackenzie, executive manager of Berries Australia, said that while the long-term outlook remains stable, the short-term effects are significant. "Production is growing significantly every year, so a 25 per cent drop this year will probably bring us back to where we were a couple of years ago," she explained.
Despite the losses, the industry expects to rebound in the coming seasons as production continues to expand year-on-year.
Other agricultural sectors were also hit. Soybean farmers in northern NSW, who produce about 60% of Australia's soybeans, lost crops they had cultivated over six months. Oyster growers suffered additional setbacks, with NSW Farmers Federation president Xavier Martin noting one farmer lost approximately AU$1 million (US$670,000). He urged the government to upgrade disaster relief grants to help producers recover.
Source: DairyNews
