August 2010 - Vol 96 No. 08 

Low prices, poor weather confound B.C. berry growers

by DAVID SCHMIDT
ABBOTSFORD – 2010 has not turned into a good year for strawberry and raspberry growers who have been hit by a double whammy of poor prices and even poorer weather.
Cold, wet weather in the spring and early summer caused a delay in both the strawberry and raspberry harvest.
Not only did strawberry growers lose another processor this year, but the processors which remained dropped their price by two cents per pound from 2009 levels. The reduction in the processing market put pressure on the fresh market, which absorbs about 90 percent of B.C. strawberries.
“While fresh market strawberry prices fluctuate widely among growers, there is no question the lack of processing puts pressure on those prices,” says B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands berry specialist Mark Sweeney.
When the cold, wet weather finally turned, it turned with a vengeance, bringing a heat wave that set record highs in the Fraser Valley, July 7-8.
“The raspberries were slow coming on and then bang, we get this heat wave which will lead to a short raspberry crop and lower yields,” Sweeney said at the time.
He noted many raspberries got sunscald, leading to downgrading at the processing plants.
“We will have less berries going to IQF (individually quick frozen) and more into jams and jellies,” Sweeney said. Since inventories were already high, this will only put more pressure on prices.
“The raspberry market has always been a roller coaster,” Sweeney says. “In 2009, growers enjoyed record high prices, last year they moderated more than growers hoped and this year I expect even lower prices.”
While the second week of July brought “ideal” raspberry harvest conditions, Sweeney notes “you can’t undo what’s been done.”
While it is too early to predict the blueberry harvest, Sweeney expects lower yields due to the cool, wet weather during pollination.

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