Okanagan apple growers talk fruit
by Kevin Berar – Giant FM
Feb 11, 2010 / 2:00 pm
(thanks to Buzz Bishop for the snapy of kid bites okanagan apple)
A second meeting will take place Thursday night for apple growers concerned about the low prices and the industry.
Wednesday night about 60 growers filed into the Oliver Recreation Centre to share their thoughts and opinions regarding the current situation and how to improve it.
Joe Sardinha, President of the BC Fruit Growers Association, says to keep up and compete with the low prices of imported apples, they have to a better job promoting local fruit.
“We’ve got to tell a better story and tell that story to the consumers and I think once we’ve told a great story and painted a true picture of the producers that are behind that production I think that we will make some inroads with the buying public,” says Sardinha.
He says you can promote all you want, but consumers want the best quality product.
“You cannot have inferior quality and certainly growers are feeling the effects of seeing fewer apples packed out of every bin, more so with some varieties. You can’t second-guess quality, that’s the number one thing in consumers’ minds for all segments of the buying public.”