Growing conditions for pears in Washington and Oregon weren't optimal this year. A freeze event back in January 2024 damaged some trees and limited the fruit set during bloom. In addition, cold spring weather and summer hail events negatively impacted the pack out numbers for the 2024-2025 crop. As a result, U.S. pear production volume is down significantly. "The 2024-2025 northwest pear crop will go down in the books as one of the smallest crops the industry has seen in 40 years," says Jeff Correa with Pear Bureau Northwest.
The crop estimate has come in at 10.6 million boxes, which is 28 percent smaller than last season and 31 percent lower compared to the five-year average. Production levels of the main varieties have all been heavily affected. "Bosc is the northwest variety that has been hit the hardest," commented Correa. "Production volume is down 62 percent from last season." The other two varieties that complement the top three - Green Anjou and Green Bartlett – are down 26 percent and 18 percent respectively.
Limited exports
As a result of the short crop, there will be less pears available for all markets. While U.S. pears are mostly sold in the domestic market, some volume is usually exported to Mexico, Canada as well as some countries in Central America. For the upcoming season however, the expectation is for a minimal amount of pears to be exported. "The one opportunity for exports will be the Red Anjou variety as production levels are only one percent down from last season." The Pear Bureau Northwest will be looking to aggressively promote that variety in the export market as an opportunity to build consumer acceptance for Red Anjou this season and into future seasons.
For more information:
Jeff Correa
Pear Bureau Northwest
Tel: (+1) 503-652-9720
[email protected]
www.usapears.com