After years of either drought or rain, this year’s cherry harvest is shaping up to be as sweet and juicy as Young’s famous red fruit itself.
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Other than some frost damage in the lower parts of the district cherry farmers are looking to see the quality of harvest not seen in years.
NSW Cherry Growers Association Chairman Scott Coupland told The Young Witness he was cautiously optimistic.
“The potential is there but we’ve got to get the fruit in the box and the cheque in the bank,” he said.
“This is the first season that’s looking like a season of old,” he added.
The first cherries are due in about 10 days but the season will really kick off in about three to four weeks.
At which time Young will see around 2000 workers, many of them backpackers, descending on the town to help pick the crops.
Mr Coupland said crops were on average light to medium this year, with some crops heavier in different varieties.
He said lighter crops meant better quality, with less fruit, while medium crops gave farmers the best of both worlds.
The cherries will then be sold onto the big supermarkets, high end fruit shops and to overseas markets.
Mr Coupland said cherries were in high demand for export when the quality was good and the timing right.
And with Australia in the final stages of working out protocols with China so the cherry industry can gain formal access to export into their mainland, if all goes to plan, the industry is set to boom.
For over a decade, Australia has been in bilateral talks with China, including this month, in an effort to close the deal.
However, the “stumbling block” has been over the Queensland fruit fly, Mr Coupland said.
“They want to ensure that there is no way they will have Queensland fruit fly in their crops,” he said.
So Australia is in the process of proving the pest won’t be sent into their country if they were to sign off on the deal.
But what will this mean for Young?
“What it will mean is there won’t be an over supply of cherries in the Australian [market],” Mr Coupland said.
“The cherry industry and Young’s industry will be able to grow.”
The industry will also be able to produce more fruit and employ more people which will equal more money for Young, he said.
As to whether the deal will be finalised, Mr Coupland said he was fairly optimistic.
“All cherry growers are optimistic, ” he added.
“We may not be happy with the protocols but I believe we may end up with something that’s achievable.”