BC Tree Fruits’ decision to shut its entire operation has left growers of apples and other major crops without a route to market for their new-season fruit
Hundreds of apple growers in the Canadian province of British Columbia have been left without a commercial outlet for their produce after BC Tree Fruits, one of Canada’s largest fruit marketing cooperatives, announced it was to close.
The company said in a statement issued on Friday that it had begun a corporate liquidation process because of “extremely low estimated fruit volumes, weather effects and difficult market and financial conditions”.
The cooperative, which is located in renowned fruit production area the Okanagan Valley, was founded in 1936 and operated a total of nine large-scale packing facilities, from which it sold and marketed not just apples but also pears, cherries, apricots, peaches, prune plums and nectarines on behalf of more than 300 growers.
“We do not have the infrastructure, and nor do most growers, to just store their apples for the season until they can find someone to buy them,” local grower Jennifer Deol told the Vancouver Sun.
“That logistic is something that’s going to be a nightmare for a lot of growers, and it’s something we’re trying to grapple with right now.”
Earlier this year, members of the BC Cherry Association said they expected a “dramatically” smaller crop in 2024.
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