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Kelowna  

Record cherry forecast

B.C. Tree Fruits is forecasting a record cherry crop this year.

And, for the second consecutive year, an early harvest is predicted.

"Because of another early and very warm spring ... cherries will be in stores (in) early June," B.C. Tree Fruits marketing manager Chris Pollock said in a press release, Monday.

Fruit lovers will be able to indulge their sweet tooth with an estimated 12-million pound harvest this summer. 

That's up up from 10.5 million pounds in 2015.

And that's not all. Across other tree fruits, an estimated 20 to 25 per cent increase in yield is forecast throughout the Okanagan.

“Mother Nature has provided our growers with very warm spring days leading up to bloom, resulting in another early start to the summer fruit season this year,” said Pollock. “We expect to start harvesting early season varieties of B.C. Tree Fruits cherries in early June, with the fruit hitting retail shelves very soon after.” 

Meanwhile, the grower co-op will celebrate orchard families behind the harvest with two video advertisements starting in late June that tell the stories of two of the 500-plus grower families in the Kelowna-based co-operative. 

The primary market for B.C. Tree Fruits cherries remains Western Canada and the United States. The remainder is marketed to off-shore markets.

Co-op members grow a variety of tree fruits, including apples, cherries, pears, peaches, nectarines, apricots, prunes, plums and grapes.



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