Pear Bill Signed Into Law Pt 2
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. A bill was recently signed into law that should put pear growers on the same level with other commodities when it comes to getting full value for their crops.
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Bruce Chandler says it all changed as the number of pear producers and processors dwindled …
CHANDLER … “And I also think that one of the factors is that the volume of the industry was shrinking and so processors were, I think, tempted to look where there was, you know, in apples or other commodities that might be in larger supply and might have more market potential in terms of volume.”
Chandler says the bill will level the playing field for small growers with a third-party negotiator …
CHANDLER … “My experience in the past was that it really worked well to be able to have them negotiate prices for processing fruit at a level that would allow, first of all, the quality of packed, fresh fruit in the produce markets to be higher quality, and because you can divert the more inferior fruit and sell it and still get compensated for it. You know, I remember years where it was, even for me, it made the difference between profit and loss.”
So moving forward, Chandler says he’s optimistic …
CHANDLER … “What I see it doing is it allows an opportunity for everybody to walk out alive, to survive and prosper. It’s an important part of the industry for both the grower and the processor.”
Listen tomorrow for more on the pear bill just recently signed into law by the governor, and the benefits it brings for Washington growers.
