The lack of summer weather in the UK this year has impacted soft fruit production.
"Strawberries were slow to start. Then, some nice weather a few weeks ago brought the crop on and gave us a short flush, but it has since either been cold but dry or dull and wet which has meant a limited supply around the country, currently we are having to import from Holland and Belgium to supplement the supply. Strawberry prices and demand are very high at the moment," said Ben Goodchild, Sales and Procurement Manager at Nationwide Produce.
"Wimbledon is always tight on supply as demand peaks for this iconic symbol of British summer time, but this year is shorter than normal. What is worrying is that there are reports in some areas that plants are not putting trusses out for a second crop, which could be a problem down the line. Retailers of course want UK berries on the shelves when is season.
Raspberries
"There are a little less UK raspberries around, a lot of growers have changed varieties or plants leading to a limited spring / summer crop, but we should see better volumes for the Autumn as these canes start to kick in."
Blackberries
"Blackberries have also been slow to start due to the weather, we should see more in around 10 days' time."
Cherries
"Cherries are fantastic at the moment; we have been selling UK Cherries for four weeks now. In some areas supply has been sporadic, but there is a good range of sizes available to suit all budgets. Prices in the UK started high, then there was a slight dip as a Spanish volume lifted slightly, but the prices have gone back now. We are just waiting for the larger volumes to come in."
Blueberries
"UK blueberries have become more established over the last few years, but always have a tough time against cheaper imports as we are just not growing the volume to cover demand. But UK growers are adaptive and have been working on brands and formats to help attract a premium prices against imports."
For more information:
Ben Goodchild
Nationwide Produce
Tel: +44 (0)1386 424800
Email: [email protected]
www.nationwideproduce.com