Strawberry growers are warning New Zealanders of a strawberry shortage this Christmas.
It comes after parts of the North Island were hit with heavy rain, strong winds and high humidity earlier this month, leaving strawberry growers with a large amount of rotten and bruised crop.
“This is certainly our worst year,” Lewis Farms strawberry grower Cam Lewis said.
The Levin farm lost between 30 to 40 per cent of their December strawberry crop because of the “unusual” weather conditions in the Horowhenua region.
“The main growing regions of strawberries in New Zealand are the Waikato and Auckland, and they still predominantly grow outside because the climate up there is perfect for growing outside," Lewis said.
"I understand some of them have lost up to 80 per cent of their crop and to be honest, I think some of them have completely closed their doors for the season.”
As a result of the shortage, Countdown and Foodstuffs are warning customers that strawberries will be a bit more expensive this year.
“Due to the weather-related issues restricting the supply of strawberries this year, we are seeing an increase in price at the farm gate which has, in turn, impacted the retail price we can offer in stores,” Countdown’s Brier O'Shea said.
But United Fresh president Jerry Prendergast said despite the price increase, strawberry growers will still be out of pocket.
“I’m really feeling for those growers as we lead into this week," he said.
"They had a high expectation of getting really good product for consumers on their table for Christmas and they’ll be devastated we didn’t get the volume to market.”
Lewis added that there is "not going to be nearly as many on the shelf as there normally is".
However, there are plenty of other options if you can’t find any strawberries.
“Blueberries, cherries and kiwifruit are currently in abundance, so there’s plenty of great value NZ-grown produce in-store for Christmas pavs and platters,” Foodstuffs New Zealand’s Emma Wooster said.
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