Plum growers are struggling to sell this year’s bumper crop of plums because supermarkets are favouring imported produce offering a higher profit margin, according to the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
Despite a ‘vintage year’ for the stonefruit, some suppliers have considerable volumes of plums picked and without a buyer.
The government recently called for farmers to produce more food and supermarkets continue to claim that they support British seasonal produce, but some major retailers have put in orders in single figures of tonnage.
One Kent fruit producer, Robert Pascall, told the Press Association that 95 per cent of his Victoria plum crop was still waiting for a customer and claimed he knew of other farmers who had not bothered to harvest their plums at all because they could not sell them.
Pascall, who farms 50 acres of plums in Kent and sits on the NFU Board for Horticulture, said: "What's frustrating for us as growers is we all knew this was about to happen and yet there's been no uptake - the orders have been pathetic.
"We're producing a vintage crop of plums which is being denied to the public."
NFU horticulture adviser Dr Chris Hartfield said the problem was caused by the retail price on fruit from abroad.
Imported plums were being bought at 35p a punnet and sold on for £1 while British plums cost 70p a punnet and were sold in supermarkets for £1, according to Hartfield.
Hartfield said: "They can make much more of a mark-up, never mind supporting the British economy, never mind food miles, or sourcing British seasonal food."
He said supporting British seasonal produce was important because "you're getting food at its very best in terms of quality, flavour and freshness - and you're supporting the British economy".
“It's about making that link between where food comes from and how food is being produced. Understanding the plums you might buy in the supermarket all helps support the British economy and rural businesses that manage the countryside," he added.
He urged consumers to buy British plums where possible and ask for them in supermarkets where they could not find them.
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