California stone fruit may soon be heading down under
California stone fruit may soon be heading down under
The California Tree Fruit Agreement in Reedley, CA, which represents growers of California peaches, nectarines and plums, has learned that the Australian government will "try to fast track opening Australia to our fruits," Dale Janzen, field director for the CTFA, told The Produce News March 8.
That news comes on the heels of an announcement earlier this year that China had opened its doors to California plums.
According to Gordon Smith, export manager of the agreement, the industry has been working with Australia for several years in an effort to gain access to the Australian market for California tree fruit. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service has also been involved, and has been in negotiation with Biosecurity Australia, the Australian government agency responsible for assessing phytosanitary risks associated with imports.
Under the terms of the U.S.-Australian Free Trade Agreement, there were two possible tracks that Australia could have chosen for evaluating the U.S. application for stone fruit market access. To the delight of California growers, Australia decided to put the approval process on a fast track.
"We just received word" of that decision on March 6, Mr. Smith said.
That means there is a chance the Australian market could be open for California stone fruit before the end of the 2006 season, although a 2007 date is "more realistic," he said. The market potential in Australia is not huge, but it is significant, according to Mr. Smith. "It could be a 250,000-box market."
He made a comparison with the New Zealand market, which has been open to California stone fruit since about 1995. The first year, California exported about 26,000 boxes of fruit to New Zealand. Exports grew steadily, and last year they reached about 165,000 boxes. New Zealand has a population of about 4 million people, roughly equal to the population of the Australian city of Sydney alone.
Mr. Smith anticipates that once the Australian market is open, most exports will go to the three or four major cities along Australia's east coast.
This year, the California Tree Fruit Agreement will have a substantially expanded program for export market promotions, largely as a result of a significant increase in Market Access Program matching funds. The organization will receive a total of $2.4 million in MAP funds this year, up 44 percent from last year, said Mr. Smith.
"That's the highest amount of [matching-fund MAP] grants that we've ever gotten in CTFA history," said Mr. Janzen. "One of the great things about those export funds," he said, is that if fruit is exported with stickers that have the California logo on them, the cost of putting on the stickers is considered "part of the matching funds."
The agreement will operate export market promotional programs in 18 markets this year, which is two more than last year. The two markets that have been added are China and the United Kingdom.
According to Mr. Janzen, from early indications the 2005 California crop appears to be similar in volume "to the one we estimated for last year. In other words, we are not going hog wild and we are not decreasing the numbers much either."
There has been some frost damage to the earliest varieties, which had come into bloom early, followed by a cold snap. But the mid-season and late-season varieties were not expected to be affected, he said.
Chill hours have been lower this winter "than we would like to have," he said. But he does not expect that to hurt volume. It has resulted in a protracted bloom period, "which means that the maturity will be spread out. So people will be picking the same variety longer and more often than they would on a normal year." That will result in a steadier supply with "not as many peaks and valleys," but it also makes the crops more costly to harvest, he said.
Starting dates will be substantially affected by temperatures between now and harvest time, but initial bloom dates about a week early is what is expected on early varieties. "Then as more of the mid- to later-season varieties started blooming," Mr. Janzen said, the bloom dates were "more traditional" and in some cases "even a little bit late." Overall, he expects "about average timing."
Mr. Janzen also expects to see "a wide mix of sizes" this year, "so whatever size you want to buy, we are going to have available, and the supply should really be constant."
In its domestic programs this year, the CTFA has created a new download center on the Internet as part of what it calls its "PPN Network" (for peaches, plums and nectarines). In addition to point-of-sale materials, the download center will feature nearly 150 high-resolution, print-ready photos and graphics that will be available to industry sales organizations as well as for the retail and foodservice trade, according to a March 8 CTFA press release. The images will include individual and group fruit shots, recipe photography and logos.
The PPN Network "delivers information, marketing expertise and consumer demand-building activity to its constituents, enabling them to more effectively and efficiently sell California peaches," the release stated.
"As we enter a new season, we are delighted to offer this research-based marketing tool," said Sheri Mierau, vice president of marketing for CTFA. "We've spent the last year investigating consumer preferences and motivation, and these materials are a reflection of that feedback. Now promoting California peaches, plums and nectarines in a smart and cost-effective way is easier than ever."
Also on the PPN Network web site (www.eatcaliforniafruit.com), according to Mr. Janzen, is a new feature designed to give a face to the California stone fruit industry. Photos and brief profiles of a number of peach, plum and nectarine growers will convey the message that "there are real people growing this fruit," he said.
That news comes on the heels of an announcement earlier this year that China had opened its doors to California plums.
According to Gordon Smith, export manager of the agreement, the industry has been working with Australia for several years in an effort to gain access to the Australian market for California tree fruit. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service has also been involved, and has been in negotiation with Biosecurity Australia, the Australian government agency responsible for assessing phytosanitary risks associated with imports.
Under the terms of the U.S.-Australian Free Trade Agreement, there were two possible tracks that Australia could have chosen for evaluating the U.S. application for stone fruit market access. To the delight of California growers, Australia decided to put the approval process on a fast track.
"We just received word" of that decision on March 6, Mr. Smith said.
That means there is a chance the Australian market could be open for California stone fruit before the end of the 2006 season, although a 2007 date is "more realistic," he said. The market potential in Australia is not huge, but it is significant, according to Mr. Smith. "It could be a 250,000-box market."
He made a comparison with the New Zealand market, which has been open to California stone fruit since about 1995. The first year, California exported about 26,000 boxes of fruit to New Zealand. Exports grew steadily, and last year they reached about 165,000 boxes. New Zealand has a population of about 4 million people, roughly equal to the population of the Australian city of Sydney alone.
Mr. Smith anticipates that once the Australian market is open, most exports will go to the three or four major cities along Australia's east coast.
This year, the California Tree Fruit Agreement will have a substantially expanded program for export market promotions, largely as a result of a significant increase in Market Access Program matching funds. The organization will receive a total of $2.4 million in MAP funds this year, up 44 percent from last year, said Mr. Smith.
"That's the highest amount of [matching-fund MAP] grants that we've ever gotten in CTFA history," said Mr. Janzen. "One of the great things about those export funds," he said, is that if fruit is exported with stickers that have the California logo on them, the cost of putting on the stickers is considered "part of the matching funds."
The agreement will operate export market promotional programs in 18 markets this year, which is two more than last year. The two markets that have been added are China and the United Kingdom.
According to Mr. Janzen, from early indications the 2005 California crop appears to be similar in volume "to the one we estimated for last year. In other words, we are not going hog wild and we are not decreasing the numbers much either."
There has been some frost damage to the earliest varieties, which had come into bloom early, followed by a cold snap. But the mid-season and late-season varieties were not expected to be affected, he said.
Chill hours have been lower this winter "than we would like to have," he said. But he does not expect that to hurt volume. It has resulted in a protracted bloom period, "which means that the maturity will be spread out. So people will be picking the same variety longer and more often than they would on a normal year." That will result in a steadier supply with "not as many peaks and valleys," but it also makes the crops more costly to harvest, he said.
Starting dates will be substantially affected by temperatures between now and harvest time, but initial bloom dates about a week early is what is expected on early varieties. "Then as more of the mid- to later-season varieties started blooming," Mr. Janzen said, the bloom dates were "more traditional" and in some cases "even a little bit late." Overall, he expects "about average timing."
Mr. Janzen also expects to see "a wide mix of sizes" this year, "so whatever size you want to buy, we are going to have available, and the supply should really be constant."
In its domestic programs this year, the CTFA has created a new download center on the Internet as part of what it calls its "PPN Network" (for peaches, plums and nectarines). In addition to point-of-sale materials, the download center will feature nearly 150 high-resolution, print-ready photos and graphics that will be available to industry sales organizations as well as for the retail and foodservice trade, according to a March 8 CTFA press release. The images will include individual and group fruit shots, recipe photography and logos.
The PPN Network "delivers information, marketing expertise and consumer demand-building activity to its constituents, enabling them to more effectively and efficiently sell California peaches," the release stated.
"As we enter a new season, we are delighted to offer this research-based marketing tool," said Sheri Mierau, vice president of marketing for CTFA. "We've spent the last year investigating consumer preferences and motivation, and these materials are a reflection of that feedback. Now promoting California peaches, plums and nectarines in a smart and cost-effective way is easier than ever."
Also on the PPN Network web site (www.eatcaliforniafruit.com), according to Mr. Janzen, is a new feature designed to give a face to the California stone fruit industry. Photos and brief profiles of a number of peach, plum and nectarine growers will convey the message that "there are real people growing this fruit," he said.
