The Northwest pear industry has revised its forecast for the upcoming 2014 harvest, with 20.2m cartons (445,144 tons) now expected to be packed by season’s end.
This estimate is 2 per cent larger than the five-year average but 6 per cent smaller than last year’s record crop. This year’s initial spring projection showed a crop of 18.7m cartons.
Harvest began in late July, and with no significant weather issues so far, the industry is hopeful the production window will extend into mid-October.
“Compared to last year’s record crop, this crop is more consistent with the five-year average,” said Pear Bureau Northwest’s president and CEO Kevin Moffitt. “We’re looking forward to another crop of excellent quality and fruit size to meet the demands of the domestic and export market.”
Green Anjou pears are expected to make up 53 per cent of the total 2014 crop, with the Bartlett and Bosc varieties likely to yield 22 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. The organic portion of the Northwest crop has increased by around 3 per cent, with around 976,700 cartons (21,489 tonnes) expected this year.
“Our representatives across North America and around the world have a full season of promotions in place to help boost sales, and we’re looking forward to working with our retail partners in another successful pear season,” Moffitt explained.
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