California strong with good quality nectarines

Overview of the upcoming California nectarine season by George Papangellin of Prima Wawona, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published on June 18, 2020.

Supplies of nectarines out of California are solid currently.

“Nectarines are exceptional right now in terms of volume, flavor and color. It’s all looking very good,” says George Papangellin of Prima Wawona based in Cutler, CA. “This is a good time, now through August that, if you want good nectarines, start buying them now.”

Papangellin adds that nectarine volume this year is similar to last year at this time.

Demand for the stone fruit is also good and as with many commodities currently, Papangellin is seeing shifts in how the fruit is being packaged and bought. “We had good communication with our customer base during pre-season meetings, and many indicated consideration of other pack styles. This would accommodate the change in buying practices by the consumers,” he says. “Whether it’s a quick trip in and out of the store for a grab-and-go situation or a curbside pick up or even home delivery. There were also perceived safety attributes.” He adds that before the stone fruit season began, these kinds of trends were emerging with other commodities such as mandarin oranges and potatoes and carried over into summer stone fruit.

Similar pricing?

Meanwhile all of these factors mean that pricing on nectarines is solid. “Pricing is about the same, depending on the pack style and sizing of fruit,” says Papangellin. “Smaller sizes such as your 70s and 80s are a little lower than last year. But the large sizes are holding steady on price.”

Looking ahead, Papangellin anticipates the market will continue into its normal period of stability this summer. “I see it just being very smooth,” he says.

The News in Charts is a collection of stories from the industry complemented by charts from Agronometrics to help better tell their story.

Access the original article with this (Link)