| PRESS MATERIALS:
CAL APRICOT INDUSTRY REPORT
A review of the current California apricot crop
in addition to changes and challenges to the industry
For breaking statistics and information, please
contact the Apricot Producers
of California.
Review of California's 2001
Apricot Crop |
| |
• California
currently produces 95% plus of all apricots grown in
the United States
• The majority
of California's apricot orchards cover 17,000 acres
in the San Joaquin Valley with the leading production
area being Stanislaus County
• Tonnage Harvested:
|
| |
|
• Approximately
69,000 tons were sold for all usages (out of 77,000
tons total crop produced)
• Percent of
crop to various usages: |
| |
|
|
Canning/Concentrate 59%
Frozen 13%
Dried 8%
Fresh Market 20% |
| |
|
• Patterson
variety apricots are the most prevalent variety used
for all usages, except for dried which uses the Blenheim
variety apricots
|
| |
• Tonnage
Unharvested: |
| |
|
• 8,000
tons left in the field representing 10% of the total
produced, 12% of the total purchased
|
| |
• Growers:
|
| |
|
• Most
of the 200 current growers are small, family-owned businesses
with the average farm being only 50 to 60 acres
• Since some
growers are no longer producing fruit and have pulled
their trees, the number of tons-per-grower has doubled,
resulting in greater concentration of production among
a drastically reduced number of growers
|
| 
Changes in California Apricot
Industry From 1994-2001
|
| |
• Total
Tonnage Lost: |
| |
|
• From
1994-2001, the California apricot industry produced
approximately 70,000 fewer tons, a reduction of nearly
48%
• California
apricot production in 1994 was 147,118 tons versus 77,000
tons in 2001
• About half
of the lost tonnage is from cutbacks in canning and
freezing production; the other half is due to lost dried
apricot utilization
• A direct
relationship exists between the reduction of California
dried apricot tonnage and an increase in Turkish dried
apricot tonnage, with most consumers not realizing that
a difference other than price exists
|
|
Industry Challenges
|
| |
• Tri-Valley
Growers, the largest processor that handled 60 percent
of the industry's canned apricots, filed for Chapter
11 bankruptcy protection in 2000 |
| |
|
• In
the 2000 harvest, Tri-Valley only packed about 60% of
their growers' tonnage, leaving 11,000 tons in the field
to rot; in addition, growers only received 60 percent
of the established payment price. This was the second
year of reduced tonnage and payment amounts
• Now Signature
Fruit Company, a privately-held company established
as Tri-Valley's successor, purchases less than half
of the membership tonnage established under the old
Tri-Valley cooperative
|
| |
• Del
Monte Foods and Pacific Coast Producers, the remaining
major processors, handle about 55% of the industry's
total canned apricots
|
|
Import Pressures
|
| |
• Import
pressures continue to pose a great concern to California's
apricot industry.
• Specifically,
California's canned apricot industry is facing serious
consequences if South Africa is granted duty-free access
to the U.S. market; South Africa is a lower-cost producer |
| |
|
• Without
the tariff, South African canned apricots would be substantially
cheaper than domestic canned apricots
• The South
African canned apricot industry is approximately 10,000
tons larger than the U.S. industry today
• Bill Ferriera,
President of the Apricot Producers of California, presented
oral and written testimony to the International Trade
Commission Hearing and the GSP Subcommittee on GSP for
Sub-Saharan African Countries regarding the impact on
the U.S. apricot industry and continues to aggressively
support and fight for the industry |
| |
• Countries
such as Argentina and Chile also import apricots; upcoming
tariff decisions also will impact the United States
apricot industry
|
