Northwest pear shippers find their best market in Mexico

Export demand may account for perhaps 30% of Northwest pear volume in 2023, said Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of the Pear Bureau Northwest.

Last year’s smaller Northwest pear crop saw reduced exports, perhaps at just under 30% of the fresh pear total volume. This year’s crop is expected to be near average output, Moffitt said, though no official estimate will be released until September.

Smaller fruit historically sent to export markets is now increasingly marketed in pouch bags to U.S. consumers, Moffitt said. Marketing pears in pouch bags to U.S. consumers has been one of the fastest-growing trends for pear marketers, he said.

Export focus

As an industry, Moffitt said pear exports are concentrated to Western Hemisphere markets.

USDA statistics show that total U.S. pear exports from August 2022 through June 2023 had a total value of $134.3 million, off 6% from the same period the previous year.

Exports to Mexico, the top export market for Northwest pears, totaled $82.8 million from August 2022 through June 2023. U.S. pear exports to Canada were reported at $39.5 million, off 14%. After Canada, other top export markets for U.S. pears in 2022-23 were Guatemala ($1.4 million), Costa Rica ($1.3 million) and El Salvador ($1.1 million).

Mexico and Canada lead in importance, but shipments to Asian markets are limited by competition from Chinese, Australian and European pears, he said. A less-regular shipping service and high tariffs in some Asian markets also complicate shipments to that region.

“Our strength is, and our growth is going to continue to be in, the Western Hemisphere,” Moffitt said. Mexico pears also have strong market potential in Central America, Brazil and Colombia, he added.