Plenty of berryfruit available

Press, 29 December 1980, Page 6

Plenty of berryfruit available

It is a-- good year to buy berryfruit, according to Canterbury growers' While prices for, berryfruit were the same as last year, the cost of sprays and other materials had increased. One grower said that raspberries were “showing promise” but strawberries, blackberries, bbysenberries, and blackcurrants were “not very good.” Local growers said that their crops this year were about average, inspite of some damage caused early in the season by frosts.and high winds. Some said that although they, had plenty of fruit,

there was a shortage of pickers. One said he had 30 pickers’ yesterday, but he could have done with 100. The holiday and the ; drizzly weather were blamed for the shortage of pickers;

Pickers were earning a good deal for their work this year if they applied themselves, said Mr A. A. Harrow, ■ of Redwood Gardens. He said that five children, aged five, had earned about $3O yesterday. Although.: strawberry crops had almost finished, raspberries and boysenberfies were at their peak. The growers Expected there would be plenty of work for pickers well into January.