Australians could be facing a Christmas without fresh cherries as the last few weeks of wet weather have wreaked havoc on the stone-fruit crops.
Victoria’s heavy rains have beaten much of the state’s cherry crops to a pulp in the lead up to the festive season, leaving behind a miserable selection with surging prices.
‘There’s been a lot of damage and a lot of loss. There’s a lot of fruit but it’s inferior quality,’ Ashgrove Fresh Fruit Market’s Angelo Angeli told The Courier Mail.
Victoria’s heavy rains have beaten much of the state’s cherry crops to a pulp in the lead up to the festive season, leaving behind a miserable selection with surging prices
‘There’s been a lot of damage and a lot of loss. There’s a lot of fruit but it’s inferior quality,’ Ashgrove Fresh Fruit Market’s Angelo Angeli told The Courier Mail
The heavy downpour has caused considerate damage to existing crops, with the cherries either soft or torn apart, rendering them unsellable.
But while cherry crops appear to be bearing the brunt of Victoria’s recent flash floods, there is good news for plum and nectarine lovers.
Queensland crop farmers have reported ideal growing conditions for their stone-fruit with a high quality supply making its way to supermarket shelves in time for Christmas.
Summerfruit Australia chairman and Queensland stone fruit grower Andrew Finlay told the publication his crops are not only in full bloom but are also juicier than ever.
The heavy downpour has caused considerate damage to existing crops, with the cherries either soft or torn apart, rendering them unsellable (Pictured is floodwaters in Euroa, Victoria)
But while cherry crops appear to be bearing the brunt of Victoria’s recent flash floods, there is good news for plum and nectarine lovers (Pictured is floodwaters in Euroa, Victoria)
Summerfruit Australia chairman and Queensland stone fruit grower Andrew Finlay told the publication his crops are not only in full bloom but are also juicier than ever (Stock image)
‘We’ve got some amazing fruit coming in at the moment, particularly with plums,’ he said.
‘The fruit quality is just awesome – it’s the only way to describe it – high sugars, juicy, flavour is excellent.’
The surge in supply will also mean lower prices than 2016, with nectarines and plums selling in store from between $5 and $6/kg, and as cheap as $3/kg.
Fresh cherries appear as unavailable for order online at Woolworths and are online for between $10 and $20/kg at Coles.
The surge in supply will also mean lower prices than 2016, with nectarines and plums selling in store from between $5 and $6/kg, and as cheap as $3/kg (Stock image)