2010/2011 CATEGORY MANAGEMENT PLAN OUTLINE FOR FRESH PERUVIAN ASPARAGUS

2010/2011 CATEGORY MANAGEMENT PLAN OUTLINE FOR FRESH PERUVIAN ASPARAGUS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 8, 2010. The Peruvian Asparagus Importer’s Association (PAIA) has developed their 2010/2011 Category Management Plan Outline for Fresh Peruvian Asparagus. “We have shaped our Category Management Plan Outline as a tool that will be essential for all involved in the trade of fresh asparagus. The Plan is comprised with statistics identifying market growth, trends, industry facts and key demographics for 2010, as well as, suggested methods to optimize sales within the category,” states Priscilla Lleras, PAIA Coordinator.



Asparagus is a continued growing trade within the United States and fresh Peruvian asparagus imports have increased by 10% in 2009. The Association points out in the outline that according to the Department of Commerce, US Census Bureau and Foreign Trade Statistics data recorded in 2009, the United States imported more than 344,000,000 pounds of fresh-market asparagus, of that total Peru represented 190,974,332 pounds. Furthermore, Peru is leading in quantity supply to the United States with fresh asparagus and ultimately Peruvian fresh asparagus imports represented 55% of the total supply to the US for 2009.



The 2010/2011 Category Management Plan Outline for Fresh Peruvian Asparagus specifically includes statistics relating to market summaries, trends, nutritional facts, consumer positioning, food safety, fresh asparagus consumption key demographics, category and merchandising goals. “The outline equips retailers and industry with the type of information that is necessary to sell more fresh Peruvian asparagus. This is our goal - to inform and to promote the trade, as well as offer retailers proposed marketing strategies. Moreover, as an industry, we are continuing in our efforts of developing value added programs that provide the consumer with options that promote convenience, savings and easy to prepare alternatives for fresh Peruvian asparagus”, states John-Campbell Barmmer, Director of Marketing - Chestnut Hill Farms, Miami, Florida and East Coast Co-Chairman of PAIA.



“Peru is the leading import source for fresh market asparagus in the United States; U.S. retailers have recognized the advantages of stocking Peruvian asparagus on their shelves which has resulted in maintaining steady per capita consumption levels. PAIA importers will continue to work with their customers in an effort to strategically promote this exceptional vegetable - ensuring asparagus maintains its leadership role among top vegetables,” states Chris Martin, President of Gourmet Trading, Los Angeles, California and West Coast Co-Chairman of PAIA.



“It is our objective to promote the Category Management Plan Outline for Fresh Peruvian Asparagus and we are most optimistic the outline will supply retailers and industry at large with information that communicates the health benefits, key demographics and proposed strategies to increase consumption of fresh Peruvian asparagus”, declares Priscilla Lleras, PAIA Coordinator. The Plan is available from any member of the Peruvian Asparagus Importer’s Association or by contacting their Coordinator, Priscilla Lleras.

The association will focus even greater efforts in 2010 on spreading the positive word to industry trade press, supermarkets and consumers concerning the benefits of fresh asparagus - through articles, advertisements, direct-communication, and trade show participation. The association anticipates increasing consumption and demand for fresh asparagus in 2010.

Late-blooming fruit trees please growers

Late-blooming fruit trees please growers
Buds delayed, lowering risk of killing frost
040810 Apricot blossoms 1

A bee lands on an apricot blossom on East Orchard Mesa. Blooms on most fruit trees have been delayed by unusually cool temperatures this spring,

040810 Apricot blossoms 1
Christopher Tomlinson

A bee lands on an apricot blossom on East Orchard Mesa. Blooms on most fruit trees have been delayed by unusually cool temperatures this spring,

By Richie Ann Ashcraft
Thursday, April 8, 2010

The fruit growers in Palisade seem to be the only ones not complaining about this year’s chilly spring temperatures in the Grand Valley.

“The blooms are coming out later than average this year, when generally they bloom too early, putting them in danger of freezing,” said Harry Talbott, co-owner of Talbott Farms Inc.

Talbott guessed that April’s cooler temperatures would produce a bumper crop of apricots and cherries, two fruits hard-hit by last year’s sudden freeze in early spring.

According to the Colorado State University Research Center, the blooms on most fruit-bearing trees — such as peaches, plums, pears and apples — have been delayed up to three weeks longer than average.

“In most respects, it’s good,” said Leif Johnson, executive director of the Palisade Chamber of Commerce, “because it significantly reduces the chances of frost hitting.”

Slower blossoming trees could push fall harvest times back as a result.

“I don’t think it will in any way affect the Peach Festival (in mid-August), but it could mean that we’ll be enjoying some of the earlier varieties instead of those that need longer growing times,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he believes there was frost damage to some trees at the coldest point this winter, but a mild spring can make up for that by yielding an exceptional fruit crop, set for harvest beginning in mid-July.

“It’s just nature’s way of weeding it all out,” he said, adding he expects fruit prices to stay the same as last year.

Johnson said it remains anybody’s guess at this point as to how the fruit will taste. That depends on what kind of heat cycles are in store for the valley this summer.

But if the Talbott family has learned anything from four generations of farming in Palisade, it’s that “April can’t be trusted,” Talbott with a laugh. “As a fruit grower, I always expect to fire up the wind generators in April.”

Johnson expects the delay in blossoms to be a rewarding sight for tourists and Sunday drivers who venture to Palisade in the coming weeks. “It’s going to just be awash in color,” he said

Peach trees in full bloom in South Jersey

Peach trees in full bloom in South Jersey

By Edward Colimore

Inquirer Staff Writer

As far as the eye could see, the landscape was ablaze with frilly pink and salmon blossoms of peach trees, aligned in neat rows across Harrison Township in Gloucester County.

The sight rivaled the cherry blossoms in Washington and turned the heads of motorists passing Zee Orchards, off Routes 322 and 55.

For more than 50 years, Gloucester has been the No. 1 county for peach production in New Jersey, with 4,600 acres of orchards.

Every April, the land draws admirers who follow a self-guided blossom tour developed by Jerry Frecon, agricultural agent for the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County.

But this season - with a few days of temperatures close to 90 degrees - the trees began blooming earlier than usual and will likely be at their showy best only through this weekend.

The trees "are loaded with blossoms right now," Frecon said. "You get some 80-degree temperatures, and that pushes things along. They won't last long."

Frecon started the tour about 15 years ago and modifies it as needed "so people can see the most peach trees," he said. "I want to maximize their exposure" to the blossoms.

"We've had a good winter, not too cold but just right to overwinter a full crop of flower buds on most trees," he said. "Even though we may not be ready to have them bloom, the trees know when it is time to wake up, flower, and begin producing little peaches."

The flowering vistas - so long a part of the peach industry centered in the Richwood area of Harrison Township - are threatened, though.

"Each year, there are fewer trees because we're losing the land to commercial, housing, and educational development," Frecon said as he walked over a part of Zee Orchards.

Much of the peach industry has moved to Elk and South Harrison Townships in Gloucester County and farther south to Salem and Cumberland Counties. Peach orchards cover about 6,600 acres in the state and produce about 68 million pounds of fruit annually.

"Some of the farmers are getting older and getting out of the business," Frecon said, and the younger generation leaves farming once it sees "the hard work, risks, and low benefits."

On one day in August 2008, three hailstorms devastated orchards in Harrison Township. Forty-five percent of the peaches at Zee Orchards were destroyed.

But on Thursday, owner Doug Zee, 68, of Mullica Hill, was all smiles as he looked forward to another season. Zee's first JerZee peaches will be picked in late June and the last in September.

If the weather cooperates, about 34,500 bushels will be harvested, and some of the fruit will be shipped as far as Iceland.

"This is the best bloom we've had in a decade," Zee said. "It's been quick and pretty, and should lead to good peaches."

Zee's father, Wilmer, began the orchard in 1943 with the purchase of 64 acres for $26,000. The farm grew to several hundred acres, with small portions devoted to nectarines, apples, and plums.

Zee sold more than 200 acres to Rowan University about 10 years ago because of financial difficulties but still farms the land under an agreement with the college until it is developed.

"The weather has cooperated up until today," said Doug Zee Jr., 47, of Mullica Hill. "This heat and dry weather is perfect for the blooms. They'll probably hang on until about Monday."

This season, the blooms appeared about 10 days earlier than normal. About 15 to 20 percent of the flowers are needed to make a full crop of fruit, Frecon said.

"So we can use some natural thinning if a slight amount of subfreezing temperatures occur," he said. "Statistically, there is a higher probability of low-temperature injury this early."

Frecon's peach-blossom tour focuses on Harrison and Elk Townships, though there are also some blooming peach orchards in nearby South Harrison and Mantua. It begins at Zee Orchards and ends at Heritage Station, on Route 322 west of Richwood.

"It may not be many more years until many of these orchards are gone," Frecon said as he walked through Zee Orchards, where long lines of flowering trees were divided by ribbons of grass.

The Gloucester County Farm Preservation program has saved some orchards, and the economic downturn has put much development on hold, Frecon said.

But when the economy rebounds, the pressure to develop the land will return. "It's just my opinion, but I think this may be more like Cherry Hill and Voorhees someday," the elder Zee said.