California’s cherry sector has packed a record 8.7m cartons in 2008, up 16 per cent on last year's then-record of 7.5m cartons.
The Stockton-Lodi and Central San Joaquin growing areas have finished for the season, leaving only the Santa Clara Valley still packing.
The Northwest (NW) cherry season is moving slowly, however, with packed volume at 10 per cent of last year’s levels.
Meanwhile, NW cherry growers report “no movement” in getting “a systems approach” in place for fruit exported to Japan, as an alternative to methyl bromide fumigation. The industry said it has “lost another season” of getting better quality cherries into that market.
