JULY 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


BC tree fruit outlook is a bowl of cherries Momentum the word as new plantings enter production, packing lines upgrade


by TOM WALKER


KELOWNA – “Momentum” is a word that comes up a lot in conversation with Chris Pollock, marketing manager for BC Tree Fruits Co-operative (BCTF). “There is momentum in the industry,” says


Pollock, who has the sales numbers, predictions of a record cherry crop and stats on orchard ejuvenation to prove it, too. The grower-owned co-operative packs, stores and markets the work of some 500 grower families in the Okanagan, Similkameen and Creston valleys. But when Pollock joined the organization in late 2010, he remembers hearing tales of how the industry was dying. It’s the opposite today. “We are continuing to push forward and see that momentum grow with overall apple sales up, [as well as] markets to China for the cherries and the expansion of Ambrosia and Honeycrisp plantings,” he says. “Growers who work to maximize their yields and produce quality fruit are going to be repaid for their efforts. This is not a dying industry.” By the time this issue lands in your mailbox, last


year’s apples will be sold out and a new harvest will be starting to weigh on the trees. “Apple sales went really well this winter,” says


Pollock. “Our volume was up about 25% from last year and quality was good.” Pollock says that prices averaged about $30 a


carton, or about 71.4 cents a pound. “That’s all varieties, all sizes, all grades and it’s


down by 5% from last year,” he says. “But we had 25% more fruit, for a total of 2.4 million boxes of apples this year.” Prices ranged from an average market return of


$22.25 for a carton of Red Delicious (down from $24.85 last year) to a high of $52 for Honeycrisp (up


“We also predicted 12 million pounds last year, but with the heavy rain damage, we saw that was down to eight million pounds,” he says. Crop losses last season were as high as 60 to 80% in some blocks. Some growers, reportedly, didn’t even bother to pick as they wouldn’t recoup their costs. Across the valley, growers have an aggressive


drying program with wind machines, tractor-towed blowers and helicopters. “At $1,500 an hour, they hope they don’t have to use the helicopters,” says Pollock. “But they are needed in some cases. We actually had meetings with Transport Canada around flying and we are doing it right.” Pollock says that the seven-year, $8.4 million


provincial government replant program is helping the industry. “We are seeing more high-value apples like


TOM WALKER PHOTO


a dollar). Pink Lady apples brought 70 cents more, or $39.05, while the venerable Ambrosia came in at $39, down $2.85 from last year. However, the size of the crop meant it was worth $72 million to growers.


Full swing As the last apples go out the door, the first of


2017’s cherries are starting to roll in. BCTF expects the $3 million packing line it installed two years ago to be in full swing by early July. “We are predicting a record 12 million-pound


cherry crop this year,” says Pollock, noting that domestic sales absorb 60% of the volume while the remainder is shipped to the US and China. Pollock acknowledges that Mother Nature can throw any number of curve balls, however.


Ambrosia and Honeycrisp going into the ground as well as more cherries,” he notes. “We anticipate within the next four to six years, our Ambrosia crop will more than double. We expect about 500,000 cartons for 2017 and we are probably looking at 1.2 million cartons as the trees [enter] full production.” Pollock says the big challenge will be keeping prices in line with current levels as production grows.


A new $1 million bagging line at the apple


packing plant in Winfield will serve growers in the north Okanagan, increasing efficiency. BCTF will boost staffing and produce more specialty packs for retailers, such as high graphic pouches, to help keep the industry’s momentum going. “We have consumer support from local, we have


BC Tree Fruits brand recognition and we have a good relationship with retailers,” he says. “We are continually looking a new markets domestically, in the US and overseas.”


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