In a cruel twist of fate for Christmas shoppers and local producers some of the best cherries seen in years could also be the most expensive.
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Shoppers can expect to see fewer of the mouth-watering festive treats this year, with Cherry Growers Australia president Tom Eastlake anticipating the season’s national haul could be less than half of what was originally predicted.
“It’s light, mate, very light in all production areas across the country,” he said.
Many of the nation’s trees were hit hard by colder, wetter and windier weather months ago while budding.
Central Victoria is part of a major cherry growing regions and has not proven immune to low hauls.
As local trees budded wind damaged delicate flowers and cold weather left pollinating bees more lethargic, according to Maldon Cherry Farm’s Ali Brookes.
“We are at about 40 or 50 per cent (production) this year,” she said.
This year Maldon Cherry Farm was relying on sales through its farm gate and was opening three days a week.
“And we are not going to market. But we are still picking,” she said.
Most of the farm’s losses were in early-fruiting varieties that were harvested before Christmas, however Ms Brookes still had a little room left on her list for people seeking holiday orders.
Those orders would depend in part on the weather, since cherries needed warmer days to ripen.
The irony was that this season’s cherries could the most delicious in years because trees would be able to concentrate their energy on less fruit.
“They will be phenomenal this year,” Mr Eastlake said.
Mr Eastlake said those prowling supermarket aisles for cherries should not fear. They would get fruit for their labours, even if cherries were less numerous and more expensive.
Ms Brookes said people should buy local where possible.
“One of the issues we have is that throughout the off-season people buy lots of imported cherries from places like the US. So they don’t think of us at this time of year,” she said.
She is taking limited Christmas orders at her farm gate.