With California's date harvest set to begin next month, growers are hoping that demand for their product continues to grow as it's done over the last several years.“Demand for dates this past crop year has been good,” said Lorrie Cooper of the California Date Administrative Committee. “As each year passes, demand for dates become higher.” She attributed the growth to a greater emphasis on healthy eating on the part of consumers. With diabetes on the rise and the ill effects of a bad diet becoming more apparent, people are looking to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diet. The sweet taste that dates afford have made dates an attractive product, both fresh and when processed into other food products.
“Consumers are becoming more aware of processed versus natural sugars,” explained Cooper. “So consumers are eating more fruits and vegetables. Dates, in the last five years, have also become one of the main ingredients, as natural sweeteners, in fruit bars.”
This year's harvest is expected to begin next month, and estimates put state production between 45 million and 50 million pounds for all date varieties. The Coachella Valley grows about 90 percent of the dates in the United States, with the other 10 percent grown in the Bard Valley near Yuma, Arizona. Medjool date production is centred in the Bard Valley, while the Coachella Valley's growers produce about 25 varieties of dates.
For more information:
Lorrie Cooper
California Date Administrative Committee
+1 760 347 4510