Though volume for this year's Washington pear harvest is roughly in line with that from the previous season, high temperatures will likely bring smaller-sized fruit. With strong demand anticipated, this year's size profile could keep prices strong throughout the season.
“Pears seem to maintain strong demand from consumers year-round,” said Randy Hartmann of Pacificpro in Bellevue, Washington. “As a region, the anticipated smaller supply of 50ct to 80ct pears this season would put pressure on pricing and availability for retail programs.” On August 19, prices for a carton of size-70 Bartletts from the Yakima Valley were between $28.00 and $32.00, and prices for a carton of size-100 Bartletts were between $26.00 and $28.00.
Sizes this year are expected to peak about one to two sizes smaller than last year, or around 90ct to 100ct, according to Hartmann. Fruit quality and volumes are expected to be good, but the smaller sizes would bring down the number of boxes packed. Even so, the current estimate of about 20 million boxes would make this the fourth-largest crop in state history.
“It is still relatively early in the Northwest pear harvest, so we're just estimating, but as other varieties start out of the Northwest we would anticipate US#1 Bartletts to settle around $20 per box on 100ct and larger,” said Hartmann. “D’Anjous should start around $24.00 and US#1 Gold Russet Boscs slightly higher. Fancy grade in all varieties should be a few dollars less than their US#1 counterpart. If sizing overall is peaking closer to 100ct, we could see stronger prices on the larger sizes.”
