Shipping costs rise for California-grown fruit

VISALIA
May 29, 2008 12:02am

The challenge of moving Central Valley fruit to East Coast consumers has intensified.

Truckers and retailers have increased the costs they charge farmers to carry peaches, nectarines and plums to market.

Farmers say a shipment that cost $6,000 last year costs $9,000 now because of sharply higher fuel prices.

“The increased cost of fuel has caused the independent truckers and the retailers to increase the cost of a load of fruit, particularly to the East Coast,” says Kerry Whitson, a Tulare County peach, plum and nectarine grower. “Hopefully, something miraculous will happen and demand will be high and things will work out.”

Retailers want farmers to pay the bulk of the increase.

“Retailers are complaining about the cost of getting the produce to the East Coast and they seem to always want to have that come out of the price paid to the farmer for the product rather than to ask the consumer to pay a little bit more,” says Mr. Whitson.

Farmers say they hope demand stays strong enough to offset the rising costs.

The Central Valley grows most of the peaches, plums nectarines and other tree fruit that is sold in the United States.