The California Tree Fruit Agreement's (CTFA) 29 April forecast has put the state's volume of peaches, plums and nectarines at 46.8m cartons, a very slight increase over the 2009 deal, but well down on the almost 60m cartons produced in 2008.
The original prediction of over 50m cartons was reduced by an unusually cold, wet and windy April weather, according to CTFA president Gary Van Sickle.
"It was the hail and the wind scarring that forced us to reduce the forecast," he told The Packer.
Harvesting of early varieties in June is expected to start at least two days later than last year, while in July picking is expected to be at least four days later than 2009.
Plums may be in short supply again with the forecast of 8.7m cartons down more than 7 per cent from 2009 volume, and down 32.5 per cent from the 2008 total of 12.9m cartons.
Production of yellow flesh nectarines is expected to be 12.2m cartons, down nearly 500,000, but white flesh nectarine production is forecast to increase by about 250,000 cartons to 4m. Those 16.2m cartons are well down, however, on the 2008 nectarine total of 22.3m cartons.
Peaches are the only stonefruit predicted to make gains this year and production is estimated at around 21.9m cartons, an increase of nearly 900,000. White flesh peaches represent the bulk of the increase, with the forecast of 5.6m cartons up by nearly 700,000.
No comments yet