<p>A destructive virus has damaged about 40 per cent of Nova Scotia's strawberry crop this year, forcing Sobeys to import strawberries from the U.S.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The company took out a half-page advertisement in local newspapers, saying it was trying, but not having much luck keeping up with the demand for locally-grown strawberries, according to CBC News Nova Scotia.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The virus – a destructive combination of two known strains – hinders the plants ability to produce marketable berries.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"We can't keep up with the demand for local, but we are doing our best," said Shauna Selig, a spokeswoman for Sobeys.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"We have reached out to our suppliers. Everything that we can possibly purchase locally, we certainly are."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The strong demand is paving the way for American companies to move their product north.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Annie Kierans, of the Noggins Corner Farm Market, noted that strawberries are hot commodities at the moment at the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"Lots of people are coming in and are really excited about them," she said.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"They're going like wildfire."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Minister of Agriculture, John MacDonell, said at least 40 per cent of Nova Scotia's strawberry industry, a sector worth about $18 million annually, have been affected.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for updates on the situation.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/06/20/ns-local-strawberries-sobeys.html" target="_new">Sobeys Strawberries</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
