The US Pacific Northwest pear season is predicted to come earlier and be lighter than last year’s record season, according to the Northwest Farm Credit Services’ (NWFCS) latest report.
Forecasts for the 2014/15 harvest sit at 18.7m boxes, down 13 per cent from 2013’s record 21.6m 44-pound boxes, and down 6 per cent from the five year average.
The NWFCS report cites alternate bearing for this season’s lighter crop and says growers may face challenges from regional labour shortages as well as irrigation issues that could be detrimental to pear crops. Having faced no weather issues this year, however, means an excellent quality crop is on the cards.
'While last year yielded the largest crop on record, this year’s crop is looking to be more in line with the five-year average,” said Pear Bureau Northwest’s president Kevin Moffitt in a press release. “We haven’t had any major weather issues to date, and the industry is expecting a crop of excellent quality and fruit size to meet the demands of the domestic and export markets.'
While the harvest will be smaller, growers are optimistic that stable prices and increased exports to China will balance this year’s lighter crop, reports Capital Press. More than a third of Northwest pears are exported each year, with Mexico, Canada and Russia topping the major export markets.
India and China show the strongest growth in pear imports, with China now the sixth largest export market for Northwest pears. China imported 185,000 boxes of pears last season, after opening its doors to US pear shipments in February 2013.
The Pear Bureau Northwest will be running promotional campaigns in 38 countries this season, with a USA Pear Road Show lined up for China including interactive activities and mobile billboards in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.
Picking is expected to commence late July to early August, and will wrap up mid-October.
