
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 15, 1991                   TAG: 9103150234
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

FRESH-FRUIT PRICES LIKELY TO STAY HIGH

Reduced supplies of fresh fruit caused by the California freeze in late December and a smaller apple crop are forcing up prices for both growers and consumers, the Agriculture Department said Thursday.

The government's farm and consumer indexes showed that fresh-fruit prices set record high marks in January, and these are expected to remain above year-earlier levels until harvests of new crops begin for late-spring and summer fruits, said the department's Economic Research Service.

Conversely, the report said, the overall price of processed fruit will be under downward pressure as orange-juice wholesalers continue to draw down relatively high-priced inventories. - Associated Press

by CNB