If life is a bowl of cherries, BC fruit farmers may find themselves in the pits this summer after January’s cold snap caused significant damage to Okanagan orchards.The full extent of the devastation won’t be known until spring, but the BC Cherry Association (BCCA) is warning of widespread losses in the province’s $100 million cherry industry, which accounts for 95% of all the cherries produced in Canada..“This is the most challenging season our growers have seen in our lifetime,”BC Cherry Association president Sukhpaul Bal.According to BCCA boss Sukhpaul Bal, an unseasonably warm December failed to allow trees to develop a sufficient level of hardiness to withstand -30C temperatures in the Southern Interior.“This is the most challenging season our growers have seen in our lifetime,” Bal said in a statement.It wasn’t so much the cold that was the culprit, but the sudden drop in temperatures — going from +5C to -30C in a matter of days — that was to blame. Consequently, the trees weren’t able to acclimatize and suffered from shock.“Cherry trees had no time to develop the necessary winter hardiness, and fruit buds were unable to cope with the sudden drop in temperature in such a short period of time,” the BCCA said. .Exports of cherries were worth about $78 million in 2021. By comparison, the BC wine industry is worth about $3.75 billion annually, along with another $600 million in tourism revenue..The effects of the polar vortex were compounded by a similar cold snap in 2020 and then the heat dome in 2021. Not only is this year’s crop at risk, but the orchards could face long-term damage."It is certainly possible that trees in the worst hit areas have suffered long-lasting damage with a recovery that could take years," Bal said in the statement.This year marks the first time the BCCA is approaching government for financial relief amid fears crop insurance won’t be enough to cover the losses. In addition to a shortage of pies in this country, BC is a major exporter of the fruit to Asia. cherries are the province’s second-most exported fruit after blueberries.Cherry trees typically blossom in April and May and the ripened fruit is picked until June and July.It follows similar impacts on the BC wine industry which is facing catastrophic losses. By some estimates, as much as 99% of the vineyards in the Okanagan will experience a total loss this year.
