Cost of living crisis Qld: Strawberries surge to $11 a punnet

First it was lettuce, now strawberries are soaring in price as consumers are left battered and bruised at the checkout.

Strawberries rising to $11 a punnet is the latest hit to consumers at the checkout, with a “frustrating’” start to the year continuing to hit fruit and vegetable growers hard.

Extreme weather events continue to see prices of fresh produce climb as growing seasons are delayed causing food shortages and price hikes in local supermarkets.

The $11 berry punnets are being seen at some independent growers such as Harris Farm Markets, with Coles selling them for $7 while some Woolworths stores were sold out of stock of the fruit online.

Growcom Acting CEO Richard Shannon said the price rise was due to ongoing effects of rain and flooding events.

“We know about lettuce, but there were also major impacts on other crops including strawberries, pineapples in the Sunshine Coast as well as capsicums and tomatoes as far as Bowen,” he said.

While the weather events have contributed to the short term price hike that could last the next couple of months, Mr Shannon said underlying pressures on cost production would become a long term problem.

“Costs of input have doubled, and sometimes tripled in price, for many growers,” he said.

“While we may come out of a spike in prices, we’ll continue to see longer term elevated prices compared to pre-pandemic levels because the cost of production is going up.”

A “dire” lack of workers in the industry due to reduced backpackers and the state’s low unemployment rate, means growers will continue to struggle long after they can harvest healthy crops, according to Mr Shannon.

“We’re asking State and Federal governments to provide farmers with an emergency support package to get them back on their feet,” she said.

“Some growers have replanted three times and don’t have the capital to get back on their feet.”

Wellington Point Farm’s Adrian Lynch. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Meanwhile, Berries Australia executive director Rachel Mackenzie said while the strawberry growing industry has started the season off slow, customers should be patient.

“The ground was too wet when growers were looking to plant, so we’re looking at a delayed start to the year. We should see more normal supply in the coming weeks,” she said.

Ms Mackenzie said there were going to be a number of challenges in store for growers as they try to make up lost income from the delayed start, and struggle with pest and disease issues from the floods.

“It’s just about mother nature at the moment. I think it’s important to remember that if you are a consumer, it’s not growers trying to rip you off, it’s just about supply and demand,” she said.

Wellington Point Farm’s Adrian Lynch said it has been a frustrating start to the year, with many farmers feeling disillusioned by the ongoing extreme weather events.

“We‘ve virtually lost all of May and most of June for production. This year you just can’t catch a break. We’ve either had rain or 50 knots winds, it’s been frustratingly hard,” he said.

Despite the sun coming out, Mr Lynch said farms had missed their peak growing months meaning most of the year was now wasted for harvesting the best produce.

“I think it’s got the general public to realise just how influential the weather can be on food supply,” he said.

“People have become so removed from where their food comes from, and to have a weather event like this has brought it back to realising that we rely on seasons to grow.”

With production at his farm of mostly tomatoes and strawberries sitting at 50 per cent of normal levels, Mr Lynch says he will continue to push forward.

“It’s going to be tough this year, but we‘re resilient. We’ll survive but it’s just going to be one of those years where you don’t have much at the end of it,” he said.