Northwest pear harvest shaping up well

HOOD RIVER, Ore. (AP) — The pear crop in the Pacific Northwest this year is back on track after a tough 2015, when the fruit suffered from decay brought on by heat early in the growing season.

The Capital Press reports Wednesday (http://bit.ly/2gBUmoJ) that his year, the Bartlett pear crop is breaking a record with 4.8 million boxes produced.

D’Anjou pears are up from last year but slightly lower than the five-year average.

Exports are slightly down, however.

As of last week, about 35 percent of the PNW pear crop was sold and shipped compared to 39 percent a year ago.

Kevin Moffitt, president of The Pear Bureau, says exports are down because of a strong dollar and fewer small fruit, which is preferred in export.

He says a large apple crop is also competition.