Record Low Winter Temperature Damages British Columbia's Fruit Harvest

British Columbia, Canada (AHN) - The record low temperature that hit Canada last winter will probably take its toll on the nation's fruit harvest.

Fruit growers from the Okanagan Orchards in British Columbia reported Wednesday that up to 90 percent of their potential harvest could be damaged by a deadly combination of the unusually cold winter that has extended to spring and an Arctic cold front two weeks ago.

According to the Globe and Mail, cherry and apricot orchards were the hardest hit. Tom Davidson, an orchard grower in Vernon, explained cherries and apricots were very vulnerable because the Okanagan Orchard's cherry and apricot trees already had full blooms when snow covered the area and temperatures plummeted to -6 degrees Celsius from April 18 to 20.

But the orchard's grape, apple and peach harvest may be spared because the flowers were delayed by two to three weeks.

Jo Sardinha of the British Columbia Fruit Growers' Association said while harvest may be lean, prices of fruits would not likely shoot up. Sardinha estimated apple harvest to decrease by 10 to 15 percent, pears by 15 to 20 percent, cherries by 40 percent and apricot by 50 percent.