The supply of California plums looks steady but somewhat light right now. “As more mid-season varieties of plums are harvested, the supply should increase. But not to the point of an oversupply situation,” says Hank Miller of Lafayette, Ca.-based The Fresh Connection. “Most plum varieties have seen yields this season decrease by 20 to 30 per cent. Some varieties have even had shortfalls of 75 per cent. Plums are one of the crops most affected by weather conditions during bloom time and early fruit development.” Miller notes that while the majority of California plums come from three counties--Fresno, Tulare and Kings—the main off-shore competition is coming from Spain. Meanwhile along with domestic demand, overseas demand for plums comes from China, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Central America and some Middle Eastern countries.
Pricing moves down
Pricing on plums meanwhile has dropped slightly. “Due to less available supply and good domestic demand, prices started out higher than ever in recent memory,” says Miller. “They’ve come down, but not to the point where some markets could be willing to take greater quantities.” However, he adds, if fruit sugar levels continue to increase, more people should be willing to purchase plums, especially if they’re reasonably priced. In fact, the plum category continues to see new varieties—especially plum/apricot crosses. “There is increasing interest in sweet-tasting cherry/plum crosses known as cherry plums,” Miller adds. That might be welcome news to help contend with some of the continuing issues growers face in California. “Plums acreage has continued to decrease annually due to aging orchards, economic uncertainty and marginal profitability,” Miller says. “Water supply also continues to be an issue in California as well as the availability of a proficient labor supply. But the increase in wages means worker productivity has to increase to keep plum farming a profitable endeavor.”
For more information:
Hank Miller/Ken Barbic
The Fresh Connection
Tel: +1-925-299-9939
hank@thefreshconnection.com
Ken@TheFreshConnection.com
www.thefreshconnection.com/fruits.html