‘Craziest low prices’ for strawberries as farmers hit by lockdowns

The strawberry industry is in crisis in Australia, with farmers pleading with people to buy the fruit selling for the ‘craziest low prices ever’.

Australian strawberry farmers are pleading with buyers to stock up on strawberries as the industry takes another hit due to Covid-19 lockdowns.

The Queensland Strawberry Growers Association put a call out this week on social media asking Australians to support farmers by buying strawberries as prices plummet.

“Queensland Strawberry farmers need you to buy strawberries at the craziest low prices ever,” it said.

“Every punnet you buy will help strawberry farmers to stay afloat and tackle oversupply issues and food wastage.

“With prices per punnet as low as $1.00, head to your local fruit shop or supermarket today to help save our strawberries.”

Strawberry prices are at an all-time low! We need you to help save our strawberries and keep farmers afloat. With low...

Posted by Queensland Strawberries on Monday, August 30, 2021

The association said that berry-growing conditions were excellent for farmers, but lockdowns had caused people to buy less fruit.

Mountains of perfectly good strawberries could be dumped if sales don’t pick up, in a devastating blow to farmers.

“Some farmers are unable to even cover their costs,” the association said.

“Every punnet you buy will help strawberry farmers to stay afloat.”

Strawberry farmer Brendan Hoyle told Sunrise on Saturday that it was heartbreaking.

“It is heartbreaking,” he said.

Brendan Hoyle said the situation was heartbreaking.

“I think that we have seen with the lockdowns in Melbourne and NSW, we think that there is definitely not the market that there was in previous years and so we are putting it down to that.”

This latest blow comes three years after the industry took another hit when needles were found in punnets of strawberries purchased in supermarkets.

It led to a surge in copy cat cases reported to police across Australia and supermarkets stopped stocking the fruit, causing tonnes of it to end up dumped during the peak season.

Originally published as ‘Craziest low prices’ for strawberries as farmers hit by lockdowns