Almost half of this year’s raisin crop is surplus.

The federal Raisin Administrative Committee recommended that 49% of the season’s estimated 293,000-ton harvest be placed in a so-called reserve pool where the industry holds its surplus. Packers still have 60,000 tons left over from last year’s crop. The industry would be able to sell almost 181,000 tons now and bide its time on sales of the remaining 173,000 tons. The figures show no marked improvement over past years despite new efforts to reduce production with incentives and to boost sales with special promotions.