Erratic weather in the first two weeks of July following torrential rain in June has continued to take its toll on both supply and demand for UK soft fruit.
But the berry sector has pulled through the tough times and said the season can still get back on track.
Ian Waller at the Summerfruit Company, the soft-fruit division of Redbridge Worldfresh, said the season has been “very, very difficult”.
“The weather has been a major factor in the whole season, with sunshine and high temperatures in April initially bringing the crop forward, but lengthy periods of rain since then have caused problems for growers,” he said. “It has been difficult, but it has not been a disaster.”
He added the UK strawberry sector is waiting to see how the everbearer crop will pan out, with volumes coming on stream next week. “It looks like there will be a sizeable crop in August,” Waller said.
The bad weather has also had a knock-on effect on the Scottish raspberry crop and, according to John Gray at Angus Soft Fruits, volumes will drop 20 per cent on last year. “Yields are down and fruit quality has been affected by the damp and humidity,” he said.
But he added that demand for raspberries had outstripped supply and US imports had to be brought in at the peak of the UK season to meet requirements.
The UK blackberry crop is in full pick and some good samples are coming forward as volumes build.
Laurence Olins, chairman of British Summer Fruits, said polytunnels had protected fruit from hail and rain, but added that wind posed more of a danger to tunnel production.
The temporary structures have been key to improved yields, better quality and the extension of the soft-fruit season since they were introduced 14 years ago.
The National Farmer’s Union estimated that some 40 per cent of the UK strawberry crop would be damaged by rainfall in an average year without the use of polytunnels.
No comments yet