Pear volumes coming out of the Pacific Northwest were up this season. Sales, however, are slightly behind last year's pace.The 2011-2012 crop was approximately 16% larger than the 2010-2011 crop. Movement, however, has been down slightly with 69% of the crop sold while 73% of the crop was moved at this time last season.
Additionally, prices have been lower than last season, says Craig Hartman, president of Pacific Pro.
"We've seen a slight dip in pricing from the opening in fall of 2011 by about $2 to $3 per carton on both D'Anjou and Bosc pears," he says. F.O.B. Prices have hovered around $20 per carton this season.