Kelowna – In a media statement from BC Cherry Association President, Sukhpaul Bal, he expressed concern on behalf of all growers that as the industry has taking major hits from weather events since 2021( the heat dome and the atmospheric river that followed), the worst may yet come.
In part:
Cherry growers in British Columbia are reeling following the January deep freeze event that threatens to dramatically reduce the 2024 BC cherry crop.
On February 8, 2024, the BC Cherry Association convened its membership for a crucial meeting to discuss the impact of an unprecedented ‘polar vortex’ that hit all cherry growing regions of British Columbia early in January.
Immediately following the period of extreme cold that gripped the BC interior in January, the BCCA Board of Directors held an emergency meeting to assess the situation, and growers began collecting cuttings from orchards to evaluate the damage in the following days. The analysis of the buds on those branches is almost complete, and it is already clear that this was a climate change event that will impact the cherry crop more than any the industry has experienced before.BCCA executives are planning to meet with both Provincial and Federal government officials in the coming weeks to discuss the situation and develop a plan to support the growers, packinghouses, and marketers who have operated together to drive the success of the BC cherry industry over the past two decades..
