With the start of the season imminent, the Californian date crop is looking like a particularly high quality one, according to grower-shipper Atlas Produce.
“The 2012 fresh date harvest out of Southern California is on schedule for late August and it is shaping up to be a phenomenal crop,” said Atlas Produce president Robert Dobrzanski. “The hot weather is perfect for large, high quality Medjool dates.”
The Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association, an industry group which accounts for around 60 per cent of US Medjool date production, agrees the season is looking like a bumper.
The Association is projecting a 30 per cent increase in volumes, up to 15m pounds (6,800 tonnes), compared to last season’s 11m pounds (5,000 tonnes)
“This year’s crop quality is exceptional,” said the Association’s marketing director Dave Anderson. “The extra tonnage comes at an excellent time as health-conscious Americans increasingly embrace Medjool dates as an easy and delicious new way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in their diets.”
US consumer interest in Medjool dates is on the rise, and Dobrzanski said Atlas Produce’s retail sales were up 35 per cent last year. Taking advantage of that growth, Atlas is also introducing pitted Medjool and Deglet Noor dates to its product line-up this year.
Beyond US shores, Medjool dates are becoming increasingly popular in Asian and Australasian markets, the high point of the year being of course the Muslim holy month Ramadan. Medjool dates have garnered a particular following in the Australian market, where most retailers offer the product year-round.
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