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Strong Peach Harvest Expected For 2020 Season
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The wait is over for peach lovers across Georgia because the 2020 season is officially here. The hopes are high for peach growers, sellers and consumers who are expecting this year’s harvest to produce one of the best crops in years.
Genuine Georgia partner Will McGhee said many are touting fresh peaches as the feel-good fruit of the summer. He said he’s glad they can support their peach partners throughout the summer season.
“Everyone needs a taste of familiar comfort these days and we’re ready to bring back some normalcy to consumers nationwide,” he said.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers across the state are expecting a huge lift in sales of the Southern fruit over the summer.
Genuine Georgia expects to sell nearly 3 million boxes of Georgia peaches during the summer, according to Fresh Plaza. Peaches are sold in 2-pound bags as well as by the pound or individually.
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Duke Lane III, director of sales for Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, believes that retailers will have the opportunity to merchandise peaches according to their shopper’s preference. Lane’s family farm is taking advantage of that opportunity by accepting pickup orders every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Like Lane, farmers around the state are not letting any concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic stop them from selling their peaches to the public. Retailers like Pearson Farms, also in Fort Valley, and Dickey Farms in Musella are currently accepting pre-orders and are expecting to start shipping them in June.
Farms across the state want to be sure that current health crisis does not keep Georgia from living up to its nickname as the “Peach State'' despite it not leading the nation in peach production.
In 2019, Georgia was third in total peach production behind California and South Carolina, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.