Sacramento, California - The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced it continued the California Dried Plum Board for another five years.  The Department’s determination was based on its analysis of testimony and evidence presented at a March 10, 2015 public hearing held in Sacramento.

The Marketing Order for Dried Plums which established the Dried Plum Board requires that at least once every five years, a public hearing must be held to consider whether the Board should be continued.  California dried plum growers and processors fund the Board’s activities through an industry assessment set this year at $50 per ton of dried plums delivered by a grower to a processor.  The assessment is split with growers paying $30 and processors paying $20 per ton.  Testimony received at the hearing is generally presented by those paying assessments to fund the Board.

The Dried Plum Board engages in:

• Promotion: To communicate benefits of consuming dried plums and to encourage acceptance of California dried plums. This includes both U.S. and international programs that encompass advertising, sales promotion, public relations and education.

• Research: This includes market research, production and processing research to improve grower efficiency and product quality, and nutrition research to identify positioning opportunities and value messages.

• Trade Policy: To protect the interests of the California dried plum industry globally through coordination with the trade, consumers and governmental agencies.

• Issues Management: To keep the dried plum industry apprised of issues that could impact it and being prepared for crisis management in an emergency.
 
The Dried Plum Board has operated since 1980 and is composed of 21 directors, 14 directors represent growers and 7 represent processors.  The Board’s annual budget is just under $7 million per year.