Rain sours cherries

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
RECENT wet weather has devastated Yarra Ranges cherry growers, while an industry report is telling consumers to eat up.
The Australian Cherry Report was released on 18 November showing new scientific evidence that cherries were the next “super food”, with their high disease-fighting antioxidants.
The report is a summary of global scientific information on the health and wellbeing benefits of cherries.
Sour cherries ranked 14th in the top 50 foods with highest antioxidant content per serve, alongside well-known “super foods” red wine, berries and dark chocolate.
But despite such a glowing report card, Cherry Board of Australia representative and Seville grower Franklin Trouw said his counterparts around Australia had been hit hard.
Mr Trouw said the Yarra Ranges had 150mls of rain late last month, which had seriously affected early to mid-season cherries.
Wet weather wiped out almost all cherries in the cherry capital Young, in New South Wales. “Christmas supplies look okay, but with this week’s weather forecast, there’s some concern for growers,” he said.
“Later cherries can’t stand any more weather on them, those who have rain covers are sleeping easily.”
Mr Trouw said not everybody could completely cover their crops and most covers were temporary and only erected for the winter.
“The rain cover is an insurance, and you need at least one-third of cover to keep you going,” he said.
Mr Trouw said the Cherry Growers of Australia board considered the recent weather a natural disaster.
“(His business) Oak Sun grows apples as well as cherries, but most of our income comes from cherries,” he said.
“In the Yarra Valley, 50 per cent of farms are mixed, but more than half will be affected.
“Prices have gone up. The total Australian crop is usually 10,000 tonnes, but this year we will be lucky to see a 5000 to 6000 tonne crop.”