Strawberries prices have jumped in recent days; a punnet of strawberries was $5 at Woolworths in Whangarei’s Regent on Sunday but had increased to $7 by Tuesday evening on the Countdown online shopping site. Raspberries were $11.50. Pak’nSave in Whangarei was selling strawberries for $5.99.
According to Bright Corson, head of produce and butchery for Foodstuffs North Island, which operates Pak'nSave, New World and Four Square, the strawberry season was winding down from a peak at the end of November. She stated: “This year, growers have had 25% fewer strawberry plants in the ground and the price of fresh produce will always be impacted by supply and demand – when supply is low, the prices are higher. What’s exciting is that Hawke’s Bay stone fruit and blueberries are starting to come in strong and we've got cherries from Central Otago in great supply, too."
Patrick Malley, of Maungatapere Berries, which grows raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and solberries, said there was only so much produce available and growers could not turn on and off the tap of supply. “So when everyone tries to get their favorite berry in the week before Christmas, then this demand against finite supply drives prices at the supermarket up majorly. Most people don’t notice or comment on the fact that berry prices crash immediately after Christmas because even though supply will be similar to the previous week, demand drops through the floor.”
Source: stuff.co.nz