PEAR growers are spitting chips as the price paid for Australia's most widely planted variety has halved in 12 months.
Packham pears cost growers $150 a half-tonne bin to grow, but growers are receiving little more than $100 a bin.
Last year prices peaked at $250 a bin.
Some growers are considering switching industries - but as pear trees do not bear commercial size crops until eight years old, growers are loathe to rip them out.
Growers have blamed over-supply and an increase in smaller fruit for the low prices.
Turnbull Bros Orchards owner Phillip Turnbull said the low prices were "really worrying".
"A commercial orchard can't sustain these prices," Mr Turnbull said.
"We were breaking even last year and now we're really losing."
Mr Turnbull said fruit growers and packhouses were "price takers" rather than price setters.
The Weekly Times understands Coles were recently paying between $1.50 and $1.90 a kilogram - the pears were selling for for $3.97 at Coles Boronia and $3.95 at Safeway in Shepparton.
A grower, who did not wish to be named, said the situation was "not viable".
"If prices like this persist it's not sustainable to keep going," the grower said.
"Years ago we were export orientated - mostly to South-East Asia - but South Africa and Chile moved in at cheaper prices, now we're trying to sell it all here domestically."
However, the grower said the low prices had been the result of various factors.
The price of pears had jumped slightly in the past few days, the grower said.
Fruit Growers Victoria general manager John Wilson said a large crop of Williams pears - usually grown for canning - combined with a lower then expected Williams intake by SPC Ardmona, had seen some Williams hit the fresh market.
This had caused some over-supply, he said.
