British Columbian apple suppliers are struggling with abnormally low supplies this winter thanks in large part to a severe windstorm six months ago.
“The apples that we’re getting have been great,” says a representative of Mid-Valley Produce, an apple wholesale company based out of Mt. Lehman, B.C. “It’s the supply that’s been the problem.”
Orchards in the Okanagan valley were devastated this summer by a storm that caused severe damage to crops throughout the valley. “A couple of the big orchards in the Okanagan suffered from a windstorm that knocked a bunch of fruit off the trees,” says the Mid-Valley representative. The windstorm’s effects were compounded by hot weather early in the summer, which caused fruit to grow at an accelerated rate. As a result, some orchards had their supplies reduced by as much as two-thirds. “Supply fell quite steeply… Last year, there was still orchard run product this time of year. This year, some guys finished in October.”
The Mid-Valley source indicated that many of the problems caused by the windstorm were not felt until recently, when orchard run apples finished, and the market shifted to CA (controlled atmosphere supplies). “We didn’t notice a price change on orchard run product. Where you’re seeing the difference is on CA apples.”
For more information:
Mid-Valley Produce
Tel: +1 (604) 856-1389