strawberries

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

SAINT-SIMÉON – Local strawberries should start appearing on Gaspesian grocery store shelves around July 5.

That’s what the co-owner of Ferme Bourdages Tradition in Saint-Siméon believes, given that last winter saw virtually no snow and the wetter, less sunny spring slowed down preparations. “A lot of humidity, rain, and cool weather has set us back about two weeks,” says Pierre Bourdages.
Last year, the season began early, with fresh strawberries available by June 20.

Winter frost damage was limited to just 5 to 10%, which suggests a good season ahead.
“We have a lot of flowers in the fields. We have 50% of flowers in the early varieties and the mid-season varieties are starting to flower. As long as the bees do their job of pollination, I think it will be a good season. It all depends on the sun and the heat,” explains the farmer.

Recruiting foreign labour has been a challenge in recent years, but this season 46 workers from Mexico are expected to arrive.

Five arrived in May, eight more on June 12, and the rest are expected to arrive in the next few days.
Recruitment was easier this year. “There were fewer problems with visas and logistics in Mexico and Canada. They have improved integration. There have been changes, but you can never be sure until they land in Montreal,” says Mr. Bourdages.

The first strawberries in Montreal were quite expensive, with prices around $15. “At the beginning, there is always a price increase because there is no volume. It’s late everywhere in Quebec. The price will adjust according to the volumes on the market. We’ll see how many strawberries there are from the United States and how customers react. This could be a game changer for Quebec strawberries,” notes Mr. Bourdages, who points out that Quebecers tend to shun American strawberries.

American strawberries have been selling for as little as $2 in supermarkets in recent weeks due to weak demand.

“They will sell for between $4 and $5 per basket in 750 ml and 1 litre sizes. That’s still competitive and affordable. Production costs are still there. We have to respect our margins if we want to continue producing. It will depend on customer reaction and market volume,” predicts Mr. Bourdages.