Pear Output 2025-26
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. With the 2025 pear harvest in the rear view now, Pacific Northwest growers can be found a bit relieved with a 78% increase over the 2024 crop.
Pear Bureau Northwest president, CarrieAnn Arias says it’s definitely been a whirlwind going from such a small crop to this …
ARIAS … “Different kind of challenge. Now we have more to sell than we may or may not know what to do with, right, versus not enough at all last year. You know, looking at 18.9 is the number that’s being reported. We know that it’s going to be less than that. There’s always shrink and maybe things that just don’t get sold, pack outs. So, we’re using 18 as kind of the industry number.”
The Del Monte plant closure, Arias says certainly hit everyone, but …
ARIAS … “We don’t really ever know what was supposed to go to a cannery that ended up fresh. They don’t report any of that stuff. But what we do know is that it’s roughly the same percentage of crop. Overall, the other varieties it’s roughly the same percentage we would have. It’s just that it’s a giant year so there’s a lot more Bartletts in the marketplace.”
But Arias says the Section 32 purchase certainly helped …
ARIAS … “It’s a little over 500 thousand boxes that were sold to the SA during that time. And it was an out-of-cycle purchase, which means not during the normal winter buy that we would do. So, that is a pretty special and unique circumstance. We worked with canned pears to do that as well.”
Arias says the total buy for pears across both sides was $20 million, so that was significant.
Oregon and Washington growers supply 88% of the nation’s fresh pears.
