Hawai'i papaya production fell in July from a year earlier, but was still up for the first seven months of this year compared with the same period last year, according to new estimates from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Hawai'i farmers produced an estimated 2 million pounds of the fruit in July, down 23 percent from the same month last year.

The smaller harvest was in part due to mainly sunny weather and light showers in July that negatively affected orchards depending on natural rainfall.

Still, for the first seven months of the year, production is up 9 percent to 17.8 million pounds from a year earlier.

Growers are expected to receive an estimated 52 cents per pound of fresh papaya in July, 1 cent more than in June and 6.2 cents more than a year earlier.