According to the data provided by the Ninth World Seasonal Canning Conference (CanCon09) recently held in Australia, the following information is available:

 

In the current season (2008/09), global seasonal canned fruit production has shown a general decline (note: Canned peaches are not included in this article, and reports on canned peaches are covered in a separate article).

 

In South Africa, it is estimated that 46,000 tons of raw pear and 31,100 tons of apricot fruits will be available for processing and canning during the 2009 season.

 

The number of canned pears and apricots will be 124290 and 1055580, respectively (the only canned fruit variety to increase production this season), while the number of canned assorted fruit will be 154188.

 

In Greece, the production of canned apricots, totaling 585,000 boxes, has fallen to its lowest level in several years, while canned assorted fruits have been reduced to 415,000 boxes (the total production has remained at 500,000 boxes for the past few years).

 

At the same time, the prices paid to fruit growers are also increasing dramatically.

 

In the United States, processing of seasonal canned fruits also showed a downward trend.

 

In the current season (2008/09), the United States produced about 9 million canned assorted cocktails, but in the previous season (2007/08), the total production of assorted assorted canned fruit reached 10.5 million boxes.

 

It is estimated that canned pears produced in the United States will total 6.3 million boxes in the current season, while in the 2007/08 season, the total output of canned pears will be 6.5 million boxes, which is higher than that of the current season.

 

Apricot acreage fell to a record low of 5,423 hectares last year (2008); canned American apricots produced 1.4 million boxes during 2008, ranking second from bottom in the past eight years.

 

In Chile, although Chile's fruit planting area increased slightly during the 2008/09 season, its fruit production did not increase and was therefore available for processing.

 

The number of pears and apricot fruits used in canned fruits has not increased.

 

It is estimated that the total output of canned Chilean pear fruits in this season will basically reach 75,000 boxes (24x1 kg), which will be less than 80,000 boxes in 2006/07 and 2007/08 respectively (the same yield in both seasons).

 

Meanwhile, Chile's total production of canned apricots has fallen from 11,900 in the previous season to 8,000 today.

 

Clearly, Chile's canned fruit cocktail has seen its biggest decline this season, with an estimated total of 328,000 boxes, less than 750,000 boxes in the previous season.

 

At present, the price of some fruits in Chile has risen slightly, for example, the price of pear fruit is 80,000 CLP per ton, or about $141 per ton.

 

In the production season, however, the price of raw Chilean apricot fruit fell, at 105,000 Chilean pesos per ton, less than 140,000 pesos per ton in the previous season.

 

In Spain, the amount of raw materials used to produce canned pears is relatively small, so the total output of canned pears and fruits is only 680,000 boxes.

 

In Australia, it is estimated that during the 2008/09 season, there will be a significant decline in canned fruit production in the country, with the following canned fruit yields:

 

The output of canned pear fruits totaled 582960 boxes, down 12% from the same period last year.

 

The total output of canned apricots was 291,880 boxes, down 6% from a year earlier, while that of canned assorted fruits was 162,4140 boxes, down 10% from a year earlier.

 

Canned fruit production in Argentina

 

Argentina's current situation is another exception to those attending the Ninth World Seasonal Canning Conference.

 

It is estimated that Argentina's canned pear production increased to 35,000 boxes in the 2008/09 season (compared with 25,000 boxes in the 2007/08 season).

 

The production of canned assorted fruits has also increased, with an estimated increase to 445,000 cases this season, up from 430,000 cases in the 2007/08 season.

 

As is the case with canned peaches and fruits, Argentina's domestic consumption of canned assorted fruits is also increasing, the production of this season has reached 405,000 cases.

 

Although the consumption of assorted canned fruits is less than the total consumption of canned pears, it is at the same level as the consumption of the past two years.

 

It is estimated that Argentina's export of canned assorted fruits has increased to 200,000 cases in the current season, double the total export volume in the 2007/08 season.