B.C. Strawberry Crops Ravaged by Wet Weather
Strawberry crops in British Columbia’s Okanagan region are being wiped out by wet weather.
Owner of KD Farms in Kelowna, Gurjeet Dhothar, says he's lost 60 per cent of his crop this year, equating to roughly a $15,000 loss, according to CBC.ca.
“I hope it's going to dry up from all of this rain,” he said. “But I don't know if I'm going to get much out of it. Because the sun is going to come up, but the mould is going to spread all over the strawberries,” he said.
"I'm quite concerned. There was quite a bit of money put onto it and labor and stuff. It was quite a loss yeah."
Producers in the North Okanagan are echoing Dhothar’s concerns, saying their berries are also soaking up water and turning to mush.
Grower Hoa Huynh says the rain this year came at the worst time.
"The rain — always rain, rain, rain — it makes the berries less flavor, and also the water suck inside the berries and gets very bad quickly."
She estimates the wet weather is ruining half of the later season strawberry varieties on her Vernon farm.
Strawberry Report
