US retail giant Wal-Mart has announced several initiatives to help the California citrus crop crisis and other weather-related issues throughout the country, including making a US$250,000 corporate donation to the American Red Cross designated for national relief efforts surrounding the widespread winter storms.
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In what it has called Operation Orange Aid, Wal-Mart has pledged to work with suppliers throughout the coming fiscal year to revise previously agreed upon contracts to put them more in line with present conditions, purchase more available product and stock California-grown citrus when possible.
“Wal-Mart buys more United States agricultural products than any other retailer in the world and it is imperative that we support our local growers during both the good times and the hard times,” said Ron McCormick, Wal-Mart Stores vice president of produce. “Operation Orange Aid is designed to support quality, locally-grown offerings while also reaching out to California growers during a challenging time.”
Wal-Mart has pledged to stock Wal-Mart Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets with California-grown citrus whenever possible in 2007; to work with California citrus suppliers to help understand their losses and offer help, determining what fruit is still available and revising contracts; purchase more available product in various sizes, grades and assortments to allow customers to support their local growers; and clearly identify California citrus in Wal-Mart Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets to help customers make their selections.
Wal-Mart also announced that it is making a corporate donation of $250,000 to provide support for disaster relief assistance in response to the severe winter storms.
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By GlobalDataAccording to California Citrus Mutual, temperatures ranged from 20 to 27 degrees throughout the San Joaquin Valley citrus region and, although frost protection measures are in place, these measures are coming at a cost of $3.1m per night. Since November, the growers have spent in excess of $88m in efforts to protect their citrus crops.
