The March freeze that hit the southeast will result in retailers having about one-quarter of the Georgia peach crop they’re used to.
Georgia’s agriculture commissioner Gary Black told The Packer this week that the state lost about 70% of its peach crop, and he expects the season to end earlier than its typical late August or early September finish.
As of June 25, 81% of Georgia’s peach crop had been harvested, compared to 56% a year earlier and a five-year average of 55%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
As expected, peach pricing is up from last year at the start of summer.
According to the USDA, as of June 26, 25-pound cartons of loose yellow-flesh peaches from California’s San Joaquin Valley were $22.95-24.95, for size 60-64; $18.95-20.95, 70-72; and $15.95-16.95, 80-84.
Last year they were $12.95-14.95 for 60-64; and $10.95-12.95, 70-72.
Meanwhile, California peaches have been going strong for a month and looking to fill any gaps, said Ian LeMay, director of member relations with the Fresno-based California Fresh Fruit Association, which represents about 90-95% of the grower-shippers of California stone fruit.
“I would say that California growers are definitely being contacted by retailers to inquire upon availability and, to the best of California’s ability, they’re filling those orders,” LeMay told The Packer.