Press Releases
Plum Board Reduces Crop Estimate
7/22/2002
The California Plum Marketing Board met Friday, July 19 and voted to lower its official crop estimate from 16.4 to 15.2 million 28-pound packages. The vote came after a recommendation from the tree fruit industry's estimating committees, which met earlier in the week to discuss possible changes in the crop estimates for fresh peaches, plums and nectarines. During those estimating meetings, it was determined the plum crop would be down by approximately 7 percent from the original estimate set in May.
According to industry statistics, plum varieties harvested earlier in the season were roughly 12 percent below estimate. More recent varieties are expected to be down slightly, although some of the late season varieties may come in at or just above estimates. In looking at all information, it was decided the total plum crop would be down approximately 7 percent by season end.
"Prior to harvest the industry had agreed it would meet in July to revisit all estimates in the event any needed to be revised," said Blair Richardson, president of the California Tree Fruit Agreement, which administers marketing programs on behalf of the Plum Board as well as for the Nectarine Administrative Committee and the Peach Commodity Committee.
Richardson noted that representatives from the peach and nectarine industries determined these two crops could be slightly shorter than original predictions, but not enough to warrant a change in the initial estimates.
At the time of the industry meetings, the three commodities are nearly half way through the 2002 harvest. Peaches have packed a total of 10.6 million packages to date, or about 46 percent of the total expected crop. Nectarines have packed 12.4 million packages, or 54 percent of its full crop, while plums have packed 5.4 million packages or 36 percent of the new 15.2 million-package crop estimate.