Total Cherry, the Spalding-based specialist cherry and stone fruit division of Total Produce has revealed that it believes a convergence of production in the northern and southern hemispheres could soon result in an uninterrupted 12 month supply of the fruit.
Talking at Fruit Logistica Director Jon Clark told reporters that longer supply may help sales of what is traditionally seen as a highly seasonal product: “We have seen, particularly in summer, that when the cherries come onto the shelves it takes a few weeks for the momentum to build. If we can keep them on the shelves and keep the momentum going we would start from a higher base, it is my belief and hope that by starting from a higher base we can reach higher levels at the peak period in June/July/August.”
Northern hemisphere production continues to increase thanks to innovations to control tree size and protect crops, but such investments are costly. Mr Clark suggested that while higher prices may not be realistic, growing the overall market through improved availability might increase overall returns.
“”It won’t be too long before we get cherries for 12 months of the year. We have already seen the bridge between the Southern & Northern Hemisphere seasons become complete, leaving the Northern to Southern Hemisphere to be filled, once that has been completed we then need to work on the availability and values for those periods,” he added.