US pear crop to fall by 15 percent this year
Add Fresh Fruit Portal to GoogleThe United States pear industry faces another lean harvest. A September report by the US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) puts the 2026 crop forecast at 650,000 tons, down 15 percent year-on-year.
If realized, the crop would rank as the third-smallest since 1972, exceeding only the 2024 harvest of 551,000 tons and the 2022 crop of 648,000 tons.
West Coast declines weigh on US pear production
Lead US pear producer Washington is forecast to harvest 320,000 tons of fruit, down four percent from last year's bumper crop. Despite the decline, production would remain 20 percent above the state's 2022/24 average. The Evergreen State accounts for 49 percent of domestic output.
Oregon's crop is forecast at 210,000 tons, a 23 percent decrease from 2025 and two percent below its 2022/24 average. The state represents 32 percent of national production.
Photo by Zoshua Colah via Unsplash.
California is expected to produce 120,000 tons, down 23 percent year on year and 20 percent below its 2022/24 average. The state, which accounts for the remaining 19 percent of US pear production, is seeing additional challenges.
"Industry reports indicate yields are lower this season as summer heat and an earlier-than-average harvest period led to challenges with fruit sizing and ripening," the assessment notes.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest saw a lighter fruit set than last year, reducing expected yields but contributing to larger-than-average fruit sizes.
Fresh market to absorb most of the fruit
Based on last year's patterns, the fresh market could receive approximately 529,000 tons of the 2026 crop, while processors could take about 118,000 tons. Processing is set to account for roughly 18 percent of production, matching the low share recorded in the previous season.
"Since the turn of the century, demand for processed pears has trended lower, resulting in lower total US pear production and a lower share of production going to processing," the report indicates of the split.
Photo by Dare Artworks via Unsplash.
The US regained its position as a net exporter of fresh pears in marketing year 2025/26 after a small domestic crop temporarily made the country a net importer for the first time on record in 2024/25.
Fresh pear exports rose 56 percent to 248 million pounds in 2025/26. Mexico remained the leading destination, accounting for 63 percent of shipments, followed by Canada at 36 percent.
Imports fell 29 percent to their lowest level in 14 years. Argentina supplied nearly half of US fresh pear imports during the marketing year, with 90 percent of those shipments arriving between March and June.
* Top Photo by Caraianu Camelia via Unsplash.
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