A larger European crop has meant lower export volumes to the continent for the US Northwest pear industry.
Pear Bureau Northwest has reported on a record crop for the 2009-10 campaign, with volumes standing at 20.9 million boxes, up 1.5m boxes on the previous largest yield set during the 2007-08 season.
Year-on-year export volumes have increased to nearly all markets worldwide, including the leading markets of Mexico, Brazil and Russia, but in Europe volumes have fallen on the back of a large domestic crop.
Jeff Correa, international marketing director for Pear Bureau Northwest, told Fruitnet.com: "Exports this season have been up to nearly all the export markets worldwide, except for Europe. The main reason for the decline in US pear exports to Europe is due to the larger EU pear crop."
Shipments to the UK have fallen significantly, by 6.6 per cent, with Germany and Sweden also seeing falls compared with the corresponding period a year ago.
Correa added: "Other factors that are limiting the US's pear exports to Europe this season include the fact that only a few shippers have growers that are GlobalGAP certified.
"Our industry is working on getting more growers certified, but that is [currently] limiting the volume that Europe is able to source from the US."
It was also announced that Pear Bureau Northwest president and chief executive Kevin Moffitt has been named as chairman of the United States Agricultural Export Development Council.
Moffitt has been handed the role of chairman of the group that facilitates communications between its members - mainly Market Access Programme participants - and the Foreign Agricultural Service.
Moffitt had held the role of vice-chairman since 2007, and was designated as chairman for a two-year term at a board meeting.
In his role, he will represent the partnership between all groups and their growers, processors and exporters and the FAS with the joint goal of expanding market opportunities for US agricultural products across the globe.
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