Cranberry Volume Soars Pt 2

Cranberry Volume Soars Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. Cranberry growers across North America, and here in Washington, are faced with a dramatic over-supply in the market and how to correct it.

Kim Patten, with the WSU Extension office in Long Beach, says set-asides have worked before are the likely, short-term solution now ...

KIM PATTEN ... "That's sort of the current plan and that will help put things back into balance. And they did that back in 2000. It did help, but for every amount of set-aside you get ahead a little bit, but it doesn't necessarily solve the big issue of how are you going to market this massive supply of cranberries and still have growers make a profit."

Patten says growing demand is more than a marketing problem ...

KIM PATTEN ... "It's more than the marketers because it's the juice, it's the Craisins and some of those issues and I think what you're looking at is new inventions for cranberries, new innovative marketing opportunities."

Patten says they're looking for the next "big thing" to come along ...

KIM PATTEN ... "Craisins basically saved the industry back in 2000 when it was a massive over-supply. Craisins were a God-send and they took us to where we are now, and now we need the next Craisin, and we're not there."

The Cranberry Marketing Committee voted unanimously to seek volume reductions of 15% this year and 25% in 2018.

In Washington, the USDA estimates a crop this year of 18-million-pound crop, 35 over last year.

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