The stone fruit crop is looking tight out of California. “There is nowhere near the product available for demand, especially on yellow peaches,” says Jon McClarty of HMC Farms. He notes that peaches in particular are short while nectarines have seen more ups and downs in terms of availability. Meanwhile, plums are coming out of an oversupply situation and supply and demand seem more balanced.
As for demand, it’s strong. “We see with some of our closer partners that they have been selling more fruit this year--peaches in particular--than they have in prior years. We’re hoping that’s partially due to the quality at least. The quality has been outstanding this year,” says McClarty.
Add to that the fact that California came into a fairly empty market given the lack of peaches out of the Southeast this season. At this time of year, the Northwest, Utah and Colorado are also starting production on stone fruit.
Stronger overall pricing
As for pricing, it is stronger this year than in past years. “This was necessary because yields have been a bit down and every year the costs increase. This is something that we need to see as an industry to stay viable,” says McClarty.
Looking ahead, the season should end as it usually does, even with the two-week later start to the California crop. While some stone fruit will wrap up in a few weeks, there may be a gap between the end of the current peach crop and the late California peach crop. “On plums, the bulk of the industry finishes late September or into early October though there’s a handful of people who go a bit later than that,” adds McClarty.
For more information:
Jon McClarty
HMC Farms
Tel: +1 (559) 897-1025
[email protected]
www.hmcfarms.com
