A California raisin-packing business is seeking bankruptcy protection in the face of $39 million in bank debt and another $16 million owed to raisin growers, who are first in line for repayment under state laws protecting farmers, Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review reported today. West Coast Growers Inc., based in the Central Valley city of Kerman, filed for chapter 11 on March 20 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Fresno. The company, which said that it plans to sell itself, has an estimated $10.1 million in assets and $59.6 million in liabilities.
