The Raisin Administrative Committee, Fresno voted unanimously on August 15 to establish the 2011 crop of Natural Seedless raisins at 100% free tonnage. This means that the upcoming crop approaching harvest in the Fresno area will not be subject to volume regulation and a reserve pool will not be created. Growers are currently scheduled to receive a $1,500 per ton field price as was negotiated by the Raisin Bargaining Association in 2010.
This is the second consecutive year without volume regulation for Natural Seedless California raisins, the predominant cultivar for the world's leading producer of dried grapes. The action is a result of the decreased carryover inventory of raisins from past years' levels. In its meeting on August 15, the carryover inventory was announced at 110,206 natural condition tons. This compares with an average for the past ten years of 172,515, including a high of over 269,000 tons in 2001.
This is the California raisin icon celebrates the second consecutive year without volume regulation for Natural Seedless California raisins.
Other key crop year statistics reviewed by the Committee on August 15 included:
* 354,878 natural condition tons of Natural Seedless (NS) delivered (+19%)
* 129,197 packed tons of NS shipped to export (-15%)
* 180,344 packed tons of NS shipped to domestic and Canada (-3%)
* 110,206 tons of NS inventory (+32%)
Total deliveries for other varieties for 2010-2011 were:
Raisin grape vines being grown on an overhead trellis system in Fresno County.
|
Dipped Seedless
|
4,440 tons
|
(+16% compared to 2009-10)
|
|
Golden Seedless
|
21,827
|
(+28%)
|
|
Zante Currants
|
3,468
|
(+28%)
|
|
Other Seedless
|
11,351
|
(+55%)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top Destinations for California Natural Seedless Raisins in 2010-2011 were:
|
Country
|
Packed Tonnage
|
+/- % compared to 2009-10
|
|
United States
|
169,125
|
-3%
|
|
United Kingdom
|
18,592
|
-41%
|
|
Japan
|
17,412
|
-18%
|
|
Germany
|
13,240
|
-27%
|
|
China
|
12,262
|
+22%
|
|
Canada
|
11,219
|
-5%
|
|
Sweden
|
5,350
|
-20%
|
|
Mexico
|
5,050
|
+28%
|
|
Denmark
|
4,834
|
-17%
|
|
Taiwan
|
4,611
|
-11%
|
The Raisin Administrative Committee is a federal marketing order, led by 47 growers, packers and a public member. The RAC is directly overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture and was created in 1949 as a result of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937.