Introduction of Chinese Pear Industry

Pears are one of the world's oldest cultivated and beloved fruits. China's pear industry, the world's largest, continues to be a major force behind increases in expected output. China's pear production exceed 10 million tons for the first time in 2005. China produces over half of the world's pears, so China's pear exports remain an important and growing segment of China's fruit trading industry.

China alone accounted for 90 percent of the increase in world apple production and 86 percent of total increase in world pear production in the 1990's. While production of pears in the rest of the world increased about 1 million metric tons, China's pear production increased by over 6 million metric tons.Fresh pear production could increase a further 45 percent between 2000 and 2010. Pear imports are likely to continue to remain modest. Pear exports could grow by more than 50 percent in the decade.

China supplies two-thirds of the canned pears imported into the United States. The Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service joined forces with the California canned peach and fruit cocktail industries to ask the U.S. government to investigate the Chinese canned fruit industry. China has become a major supplier of canned pears to the United States. The volume of pear imports from China soared between 2000 and 2003, but then leveled off. China supplies two-thirds of the one million cases of canned pears coming into the United States each year. Prices of the Chinese pears have remained at about 15 dollar a case delivered, despite higher fuel costs. Rich Baldoz at Snokist Growers said ocean freight is often cheaper than trucking. For example, it costs Northwest canners between $3,500 and $4,000 to send a truckload of pears to New York, which is more than it costs Chinese suppliers to ship all the way from China to New York.