Larger-sized fruit could mean a bigger Californian navel orange crop in 2009/10 than was first predicted, according to some industry insiders.
In autumn the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated the size of the crop to be around 80m cartons, up by 16 per cent on the previous season's total, The Packer reported.
Although it was feared that the crop would fall short of those estimates, fruit size has continued to increase as the harvest unfolds, and California Citrus Mutual's director of grower relations Bob Blakely believes that total crop volume could now exceed expectations.
Mr Blakely said fruit was peaking on 56s, 72s and 88s, sizes highly desired in export markets, although prices were down slightly on the same time last year.
Demand for Californian navels is expected to increase throughout January, according to Randy Jacobsen, sales manager of Orange Cove's Cecelia Packing Corp., and increased demand from Korea and Japan in coming weeks should help boost markets.
Mr Blakely echoed these statements, and said there was already strong demand for Californian navels from South East Asia.
He added that the quality of navels being produced this year was very high, and that utilisation rates were good.
'We're packing 85-90 per cent. Very little fruit is being eliminated,' he said.
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