Pomegranate crop expected to be on the light side
Pomegranate crop expected to be on the light side
By all accounts, the 2005 California pomegranate crop is on the light side and it is running a couple of weeks later than usual.
However, in late August, the crop was still sizing and grower-shippers said that there is a good chance that the larger-sized fruit will make up for the lighter fruit set.
Apparently a combination of rain and heat reduced the set this year and has led to the unusual crop conditions.
Dee Slayman of Slayman Marketing Inc. and Slaydeco Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, is the state's earliest producer of pomegranates, and so his experiences tend to set the pace for the rest of the industry. "Were the first ones in the deal and we tend to oil the wheels for everyone else," he quipped Aug. 23 as he was overseeing the beginning of the firms harvest. We are two-and-half weeks later than normal.
Mr. Slayman produces the Early Foothill and Early Wonderful varieties on his southern San Joaquin Valley farms. The Wonderful variety is the mainstay of the industry, but it comes on later and is the forte of other growers. Slaydeco concentrates on the earliest varieties and tends to get in and out of the market before others have even begun to pack. Last year, he had fruit in late July, which was about 10 days earlier than 2003. But this year, he did not start harvesting until Aug. 15, the latest start date in recent memory.
Pomegranates are considered a fall crop, but Slaydecos production has had the effect of lengthening the season. This year, however, Mr. Slayman said that the later start is helping him a bit. In the past, he has lamented that some buyers are just not ready for the fruit mentally in July, although this California farmer believes the early fruit is typically the sweetest on the market.
But this year has presented its concerns. Mr. Slayman said that the heavy spring rains followed by very hot July temperatures have delayed the growth of the pomegranates. We were having trouble making color both inside and out, he said. The extreme heat has bleached the color out, which is why we have had to leave them on the tree longer.
But as he had just finished surveying the field before a telephone interview with The Produce News, Mr. Slayman said that the newly harvested fruit looked very good with excellent quality.
Farther up the road, Craig Ito of Ito Packing Co. Inc. in Reedley, CA, was seeing a similar delay in the start of the season. Weve had a few Early Foothills, and the Early Wonderfuls should be coming along in a little more than a week, he said Aug. 22. But the Wonderfuls are still a month away.
Mr. Ito said that the early varieties look very good and are sizing well, but said that the Wonderfuls look a little lighter this year.
Concentrating on the fruit at hand, the longtime Reedley grower and shipper said that the early fruit was very clean and of excellent quality.
Fiona Posell, vice president of corporate communications for POM Wonderful in Los Angeles, one of the industrys larger pomegranate producers and shippers, said that the experiences of the early shippers does appear to be representative of the seasons trend. We only grow the Wonderful variety, she said, and it is going to be later this year.
Ms. Posell said that her firm will start marketing its fruit during the first or second week of October, which is about two weeks later than last season. At this point, the crop is looking very good, but it is a lighter set. However, we do expect a larger percentage of bigger sizes, which could make up the difference.
It is no secret that the California pomegranate crop is trending upwards with both volume and demand. A number of growers have increased production over the last several years, and POM Wonderful is known to have many more trees in early stages of growth. However, Ms. Posell said that those trees have yet to bear fruit, so she does not expect a spike in the volume this year.
In fact, all the handlers The Produce News interviewed were expecting 2005 to be an excellent marketing year as the lighter set combined with the growing demand should create a good situation for growers and shippers.
(A full report on pomegranates appears in the Sept. 5 issue of The Produce News.)
However, in late August, the crop was still sizing and grower-shippers said that there is a good chance that the larger-sized fruit will make up for the lighter fruit set.
Apparently a combination of rain and heat reduced the set this year and has led to the unusual crop conditions.
Dee Slayman of Slayman Marketing Inc. and Slaydeco Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, is the state's earliest producer of pomegranates, and so his experiences tend to set the pace for the rest of the industry. "Were the first ones in the deal and we tend to oil the wheels for everyone else," he quipped Aug. 23 as he was overseeing the beginning of the firms harvest. We are two-and-half weeks later than normal.
Mr. Slayman produces the Early Foothill and Early Wonderful varieties on his southern San Joaquin Valley farms. The Wonderful variety is the mainstay of the industry, but it comes on later and is the forte of other growers. Slaydeco concentrates on the earliest varieties and tends to get in and out of the market before others have even begun to pack. Last year, he had fruit in late July, which was about 10 days earlier than 2003. But this year, he did not start harvesting until Aug. 15, the latest start date in recent memory.
Pomegranates are considered a fall crop, but Slaydecos production has had the effect of lengthening the season. This year, however, Mr. Slayman said that the later start is helping him a bit. In the past, he has lamented that some buyers are just not ready for the fruit mentally in July, although this California farmer believes the early fruit is typically the sweetest on the market.
But this year has presented its concerns. Mr. Slayman said that the heavy spring rains followed by very hot July temperatures have delayed the growth of the pomegranates. We were having trouble making color both inside and out, he said. The extreme heat has bleached the color out, which is why we have had to leave them on the tree longer.
But as he had just finished surveying the field before a telephone interview with The Produce News, Mr. Slayman said that the newly harvested fruit looked very good with excellent quality.
Farther up the road, Craig Ito of Ito Packing Co. Inc. in Reedley, CA, was seeing a similar delay in the start of the season. Weve had a few Early Foothills, and the Early Wonderfuls should be coming along in a little more than a week, he said Aug. 22. But the Wonderfuls are still a month away.
Mr. Ito said that the early varieties look very good and are sizing well, but said that the Wonderfuls look a little lighter this year.
Concentrating on the fruit at hand, the longtime Reedley grower and shipper said that the early fruit was very clean and of excellent quality.
Fiona Posell, vice president of corporate communications for POM Wonderful in Los Angeles, one of the industrys larger pomegranate producers and shippers, said that the experiences of the early shippers does appear to be representative of the seasons trend. We only grow the Wonderful variety, she said, and it is going to be later this year.
Ms. Posell said that her firm will start marketing its fruit during the first or second week of October, which is about two weeks later than last season. At this point, the crop is looking very good, but it is a lighter set. However, we do expect a larger percentage of bigger sizes, which could make up the difference.
It is no secret that the California pomegranate crop is trending upwards with both volume and demand. A number of growers have increased production over the last several years, and POM Wonderful is known to have many more trees in early stages of growth. However, Ms. Posell said that those trees have yet to bear fruit, so she does not expect a spike in the volume this year.
In fact, all the handlers The Produce News interviewed were expecting 2005 to be an excellent marketing year as the lighter set combined with the growing demand should create a good situation for growers and shippers.
(A full report on pomegranates appears in the Sept. 5 issue of The Produce News.)
