Otago growers counting costs of cherry crops ruined by downpours 11 Jan, 2021 12:00 AM 4 minutes to read Heavy rain over New Year's created cherries so juicy that many of them burst. Cherry growers believe about half of the crop has been affected, making them no longer fit for export. Summerfruit New Zealand chief executive Richard Palmer said Central Otago was affected by the rain. Advertisement However, production in the Hawke's Bay was not affected and the crop "has been very good this season, great for domestic consumers, fantastic tasting fruit on the marketplace". But the crop that had ...