Though many of California's growers have had to contend with the effects of the state's lingering drought, date growers have not felt the brunt of the dry spell. With most of the state's date growers drawing water from underground aquifers, they haven't felt the pinch from reduced water for their crops yet, though sustained drought conditions could affect them in the future.“We get our water from aquifers beneath the Coachella Valley and from the Colorado River, so we haven't been affected by California's water shortage yet,” said Lorrie Cooper, manager for the California Date Commission. “Not to say we won't have any problems in the future, but we're under the radar right now.” Volume from the most recent harvest, which took place from September through December, reached about 40-45 million pounds, which is on par with average years. That production has been feeding steadily increasing demand.
“Demand is definitely up, and it's been increasing for about the last three years,” said Cooper. She credits increased consumer knowledge about the health benefits of dates for the increased demand. Increased use of date paste as a sweetener has also driven demand.
For more information:
Lorrie Cooper
California Date Commission
+1 760 347 4510