In general, the English cherry harvest is running around 14-18 days late this year, although this does vary by area, with some a few days ahead of this. FGA Farming which has two orchards in Kent are expecting to pick their first cherries at the end of this week, only 2-3 days later than last year. Since acquiring the orchards last year FGA have made some substantial investments and changes to the orchards to improve the yields, picking, quality and timing of the fruit.
“We are expecting a reasonable crop,” explains Managing Director Jon Clark. “We were concerned earlier in the year with the cold spring and wet weather. We had 16 frost events which was unheard of in our area, low light levels and temperature of less than 12 degrees. But the trees produced lots of green fruit, before the fruit drop which we expected to be heavier than normal, but it wasn’t. We are now seeing good sized, good quality fruit.”
100 days of English cherry production
When FGA Farming took over the orchards, which already had a good mix of varieties last year they made quite a few changes to the growing methods, but according to Jon it could still be down to luck, it worked well this year but with growing it is not until the year after that we will know if it gives the same results.
“We are seeing some of the best fruit ever in terms of size and quality, we have spread the crop out more and are aiming to stretch the season out as far as possible and we have a fantastic farm manager who has many years of experience in growing cherries.” The farm manager, Peter Foster, has a wealth of experience at both the FGA Orchards having been there for over 10 years, but also cherry growing is in his blood, going back to the 1800’s!
FGA Farming grow around 25% of the entire UK cherry crop, between the two sites. 70 ha are already in full production with another 30 ha in development which include a recently acquired additional 15 ha. Some of this land will be planted with different cherry varieties, with the aim of extending the English season. Jon believes it is possible to have 100 days of cherry production in England.
Volumes will be up on last year’s 1200 tonnes to 1500 tons, this is due to maturing orchards. The picking should also be extended into the end of August.
Labour/ transport shortages
It is not all plain sailing though as the UK is facing a challenging labour situation, in both availability and rising cost. “We have a good labour plan in place, but there are still worries,” said Jon.
Transport is also a major concern in the UK, with hauliers having make decisions on which retailers to service, something which is unheard of. “There is serious lack of drivers, which is partly due to less European drivers because of Brexit, but also because of the increase in online shopping during the pandemic. HGV drivers have seen the opportunity to earn the same money delivering parcels locally instead of being away from home.
“One thing people don’t realise is that growers also have to get hundreds of pickers to the fields every day, they do this using coaches. Normally when the schools close for the summer coach companies are glad to provide this service, but this year with the increase in staycations there is a big demand for day trips within the UK and this a much more lucrative business for the coach companies.”
As well as rising labour and transport costs, the cost of raw materials such as packing materials is also increasing, all of which increases the cost per kilo of any fruit being produced.
Supply into the UK
Cherry supply to the UK from Spain is coming to an end, only the Picota cherries from the Jerta Valley are in full volumes at the moment. There is also fruit from Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey coming in which will decrease as we go later into July. Normally the window after this is filled with Northern European & Canadian/Washington cherry, but with the heatwave in the USA & Canada it is unsure if that will finish those season earlier and if the fruit is suitable for distant markets.
FGA launched their own cherry brand Buddy’s into retail and export last year. This year will see the launch of a second brand Tudor Garden, so named because Kent is known as the garden of England and FGA’s orchards are very close to the place where Henry VIII (The Tudor King) introduced the cherry in to England.
FGA are not only growers in the UK, but also leading producers in Chile with fruit from both owners, San Clemente & Gesex, spanning the sales period from November until late March. Jon explains, “We now have our own cherry production for 8-9 months of the year and are finding this model, backed with great cherry knowledge in our business, we are starting to see ourselves develop as a potential category partner for some customers that want a direct grower model.”
For more information:
Jon Clark
FGA Farming
Tel: +44 1354 699420
Email: jon.clark@fgaltd.co.uk