The Californian Tree Fruit Agreement (CTFA) announced at its autumn meeting on 21 December that it is restructuring its operations, following the results of a referendum that led to the pending dissolution of the Californian Tree Fruit Marketing Board, as well as the result of four years of low prices.
According to a report by The Packer, the group's streamlined approach has seen it cut its personnel from 14 to eight, with notable casualties including director of marketing Gordon Smith and director of industry relations Dale Janzen.
'We listened to our growers and handlers and took the steps necessary to address their concerns while keeping CTFA viable,' Gary van Sickle, president of the organisation, told growers attending the meeting. 'We have trimmed the staff from 14 to eight.
'The number of growers is decreasing, and the number of handlers is decreasing,' he added. 'This year, 71 per cent of the fruit was packed by 14 handlers.'
Growers have also approved a CTFA proposal 2011 per-carton pre-assessments of US$0.03 for peaches and nectarines, and US$0.045 for plums, The Packer reported.
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