UK raspberry growers need to work harder to avoid the peaks and troughs that have been typical of supply this season, according to Nick Marston, md of soft-fruit marketing desk Berry Gardens.
“Raspberry production is measurably up this season,” he said. “So are sales, but growers still need to work harder on earlier sites to try and avoid the oversupply we have seen in late July and early August.”
However, the oversupply situation has not been a disaster in terms of value at Berry Gardens and Marston estimates that sales volumes will come in some 20 per cent up year on year while values will be at a similar level to last year. The crop has been running some two weeks behind 2009 and this has also had an impact on output figures. For example, Berry Gardens reports its volumes for the past week have reached 300 tonnes, whereas they stood at only 160t for the same week in 2009.
Meanwhile, blackberry output has taken a dip so far this season as growers on early sites have shied away from the product following low returns last year. The situation is similar for the Dutch. “There is less production than last year of blackberries,” said a spokesman for The Greenery. “After a disappointing season last year, some growers have decided not to invest in blackberry production, let alone expand or increase production.”
