Tough times for growers in the strawberry patch
Whether overseas casual workers arrive in time to make a difference for this year’s strawberry season is the big question, says Strawberry Growers NZ’s (SGNZ) chairman Anthony Rakich.
Strawberry Growers NZ board member Cam Lewis grows indoor covered strawberries and asparagus in the Horowhenua. He says that the strawberry harvest across the country is coming about three weeks later than normally expected.
Strawberry growing in New Zealand operates under two different systems: indoor and outdoor.
“The outdoor guys mostly located in Auckland and Waikato traditionally go through to Christmas, but the challenge for them is if they finish at their normal time then they have a shorter season to make money.
“Indoor guys such as ourselves go through to autumn so as long as Mother Nature is reasonably kind to us in the second half of the season we have time to make up for the late start.”
Additionally, heavy rains and strong winds across the country have made headaches for strawberry growers. Increased numbers of fruit have been bruised or require very delicate handling to avoid bruising.
In worst case scenarios the emerging flowers have been damaged, potentially jeopardising the Christmas harvest.
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However, Lewis says the late start and reduced stock at the onset of the season may be a blessing in disguise for both growers and consumers.
“There’s less fruit around, but that means the prices are more favourable for the grower, that makes up some of the ground that you lose. For consumers, less fruit on the market means the supply chain moves very quickly and so there is little chance for berries to sit around getting old.
“I predict Kiwis are in for a bit of a treat where there’s going to be a big flush of fruit in the beginning of December, so I like to think there’ll still be even more around for people to enjoy. You will see retail prices getting a little bit more favourable then, but prices are still great now.”
Nevertheless, for growers intending to push the end of their season, labour will remain an important consideration, and the Christmas holidays period is notoriously tricky to get labour for.
As a soft fruit, strawberries need to be picked at the right time for optimal condition.
