Combination of psylla infestation, drought, rising costs, labour shortages and trade tensions brings some growers to brink
Pear growers in the north-west US state of Oregon face financial ruin, according to local reports, with total losses estimated to be as high as US$40mn-US$50mn after climate and market conditions conspired against them over the past season.
In a letter to the US Department of Agriculture, state governor Tina Kotek requested a federal disaster declaration for counties affected by the losses – including Hood River and Wasco – which have resulted from a severe infestation of the pest psylla, as well as a hotter than usual summer and reduced water reserves.
“Oregon’s pear growers are facing serious losses after an extremely difficult crop year,” said Kotek, noting that growers had seen their revenue fall by around half.
“I want growers to know that we have their back. I have directed state agencies to coordinate closely with growers and local partners and identify every available pathway to support affected producers and rural communities while we work with USDA to unlock federal relief as quickly as possible.”
Other factors are thought to have made it harder for growers in the past year, notably rising fuel costs and federal immigration enforcement, which has apparently limited availability of seasonal farm workers, as well as the closure of Del Monte’s canning facility in nearby Yakima, Washington.
Ongoing trade tensions between the US and Canada, a major export market for US pears, is also thought to have led to a decrease in sales over the past season, with fewer promotional activities taking place.
This season’s crop was also a relatively large one, with an expected 19mn boxes of pears representing a 78 per cent increase on the 2024 harvest.
Lesley Tamura, chair of Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers, told the Oregon Capital Chronicle that members had endured a “perfect storm of bad timing” that could see some orchards close.
The organisation also suggested that some growers had been forced to give away some of their crop for free. “A lot of us right now are looking at this wondering how much longer we can keep doing this,” she told the newspaper.
