SUMMER SUN BRINGS CHERRY BONANZA
ONE Tasmanian cherry grower is having a dream run now the summer sun is out.
The slow start to the season pushed Reid Fruits to use clever technology to “trick” the trees into producing flowers and fruit so it did not miss out on the Lunar New Year export opportunity.
Reid Fruits is now in full harvest mode as it prepares to fly out cherries to Asia and the crop is heavy and good quality.
Reid Fruits CEO Tim Reid said the cherry harvest had been decimated across Tasmania and Australia by the wet conditions, including hail, in October and November.
But his company’s property in the Derwent Valley largely escaped the big wet and is now producing the best cherries Mr Reid has seen in years.
The Plenty orchard is expected to deliver 1500 tonnes of cherries.
The company also has orchards in the Huon Valley which suffered more rain damage but were now ready to harvest. Another orchard at Jericho is at a higher altitude and the cherries will mature later giving the company fruit through to February.
“The harvest is about 10 days later than usual this year and that is why there was a shortage of pre-Christmas cherries in Tasmania and around Australia,” he said.
“Another key selling time is prior to the Lunar New Year which is earlier this year (January 22-23).
“We needed to manipulate the trees into flowering earlier to capture that opportunity and it was very successful.”
Mr Reid was loath to disclose how the process worked.
“That is intellectual property we hold but what I can say is it worked very well.”
Backpackers are also returning to Tasmanian orchards and farms.
“We have more turning up every day and have also benefited from the Pacific Islander program with pickers here from New Guinea and Vanuatu.”
Picker Om Prakash Karki is from
Nepal and has been coming to Tasmania for seasonal work for five years.
And he will be back next year, he said from Reid Fruit’s Plenty orchard.
“I really enjoy it. It is good work and I like mixing with people from around the world,” he said.
“You can earn good money and have a good time too”
Mr Reid said the average worker on piece rates on his orchards was making $40.25 an hour.