Although 2011 has been a tumultuous year so far for farmers, soft fruit growers have benefitted from optimal conditions and are reaping the rewards, with cherry growers from the UK predicting their largest crop in twenty years thanks to new growing methods and a warm spring.

This year’s cherry yield is expected to be in the region of 3,000 tonnes. Simon Wells, a grower from Herefordshire who supplies supermarkets, listed the advances in cherry growing, “dwarf rooting stock, rain covers, trickle irrigation and consistency of supply... in our own case, we started in 1994 or 1995 planting an older root stock and we had one tonne to the acre, in 1999 we found this new root stock and have been planting 10 to 20 acres a year since and the yield has increased to almost six tonnes an acre.”

However, although cherry prices have remained constant for years, in 2011, as with other sectors, producers have seen dramatic rises in raw materials costs. Mr Wells said higher oil costs had resulted in a 15 per cent increase in the cost of packaging.  

Although the land used for cherry growing has not changed over the past decade, grower cooperative Berry Gardens’ Managing Director Nick Marston said soft fruit growers could expect to increase yields exponentially over the coming years. New varieties, growing practices and favourable conditions may lead UK fruit growers to become the principal suppliers of cherries to the domestic marketplace within the next 10 years.  

UK Berry production increases

Blueberry production in the UK has also seen a dramatic increase. Mr Marston said, “Our blueberry production continues to expand exponentially, with the early season giving us an 85% increase in the amount sold over 2011.” The cooperative’s Managing Director said that the UK benefitted from the longest growing season for the fruit anywhere in the world. The market grew by 15 per cent this year.

The latest data also reveals the UK raspberry market has grown by 22 per cent in the past year, while blackberries saw a 29 per cent increase. Berry Gardens’ Nicholas Marston said, "Our volumes of UK grown fruit sold have been astonishing and a record 68 per cent above the level of sale in 2010 to date. Our highest week this year saw 350 tonnes of raspberries sold to direct sales, compared with a previous record volume of 306 tonnes set last year."