Pear Bureau Northwest has reported on a record crop for the 2009/10 campaign, with volumes standing at 20.9m 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, according to Pear Bureau Northwest, including the leading market of Mexico (up 8.4 per cent), Canada, Brazil, the Middle East and Russia.
The exception to the rule, however, has been Europe, where US export volumes have fallen on the back of a large domestic crop.
'Exports this season have been up to nearly all the export markets worldwide, except for Europe,' Jeff Correa, international marketing director for Pear Bureau Northwest, told Fruitnet.com. 'The main reason for the decline in US pear exports to Europe is due to the larger EU pear crop.'
Shipments to Germany, traditionally the US pear industry's largest market in Europe, have tumbled by 81 per cent through November compared with 2008/09, while exports to Sweden are down 36 per cent and those heading to the UK have fallen by 6.6 per cent.
Pear Bureau Northwest is expecting both German and Swedish volumes to pick up through December and into early January, but total shipments are still expected to remain 20 per cent-30 per cent down on last year.
'Other factors that are limiting the USA's pear exports to Europe this season include the fact that only a few shippers have growers that are GlobalGAP certified,' Mr Correa added. '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.'
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