Representatives of the northwest pear industry have released the first crop estimate for the 2013 campaign, with a projection of 19.8m standard 44lb-equivalent boxes, or 436,410 tonnes.
According to USA Pears, this year's estimate is 4 per cent larger than the five-year average, and 2 per cent higher than last year's volumes – making the forthcoming crop the third-largest on record.
Green Anjou pear volumes are expected to grow 3 per cent year-on-year, with Bartletts set to fall 5 per cent, Bosc numbers up 7 per cent and the Red Anjou crop up 6 per cent.
“This year’s crop looks to be of very manageable size,” said Pear Bureau Northwest’s president and CEO, Kevin Moffitt. “With no major weather issues to date the industry is projecting a crop with excellent quality and fruit size to meet the demands of the domestic and export markets. A full range of promotions are planned as well as consumer advertising, social media and PR to continue to expand consumer awareness and demand.”
The Pear Bureau will engage in export promotions in 38 countries worldwide, with 18 international marketing representatives coordinating promotions for USA Pears with activities targeted for each country’s market.
The top export markets for USA Pears will remain Mexico, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Colombia, the UAE, Hong Kong, and India, which is one of the strongest growth markets for the industry.
Special promotions are planned for the Chinese market, whichgranted access to USA Pears for the very first time in February 2013 and is expected to become a top ten market for the Northwest pear industry within the next three years.
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