California Fruit Update

California’s smaller lemon crop has processors concerned about meeting demand for concentrate. The state’s grape and stone fruit crops suffered from a spring frost that will lower yields, but the quality of the fruit is holding up.

No Lemons for Lemonade
The 2007/08 lemon crop was originally forecast at 34.0 million cartons, 8 percent below last season’s figure. However, fruit for processing has been nonexistent. Processors would normally receive 15 to 20 truckloads of raw fruit per day. Recently, they have been receiving less than 5 truckloads of raw fruit per week! This has created a vast gap in the supply chain for many lemon concentrate users. Lemons from the southern hemisphere will arrive, though not quickly enough. The Mexican lemon harvest should begin producing concentrate in July. Marketers of juice may have to push other juices to the forefront instead of lemon juice or lemonade.

Grapes
The grape industry got hit by a frost in April that will substantially lower yields for the 2008 crop. Grape-producing regions made it through May’s record-breaking heat, however, generally without damage. With several days’ warning of impending high temperatures, growers worked hard to get as much water in the ground as possible to minimize fruit damage.

California Peaches
USDA’s NASS has forecast the 2008 California Freestone peach crop at 430,000 tons, a level unchanged from 2007. With bearing acreage at 36,000 acres, yield comes in at about 11.9 tons per acre. The crop benefited from sufficient chilling hours. Although the trees had great weather during the bloom period, cooler spring temperatures have slowed down maturity rates. The crop’s quality, however, has not been impacted.

NASS also projected the 2008 California Clingstone peach crop at 400,000 tons, which is down 20 percent from 2007. With bearing acreage at 25,300 acres, yield would be about 15.8 tons per acre. There are some independent estimates as low as 360,000 tons, however, which would put yield closer to 14.2 tons per acre. The Clingstone crop also benefited from sufficient chilling hours this year and advantageous weather during bloom. In April, however, excessive frost proved detrimental to the Clingstone crop. Fruit in Northern California suffered the greatest damage. The extent of this damage lessens the farther south the groves are located; in the Modesto area, fruit damage was light, and southernmost growing regions were not affected.

If you have any questions about sourcing California fruit or would like to discuss supply issues, please contact us for more information.

McKEANY-FLAVELL COMPANY, INC.