Updates: CA Stone Fruit and Grapes, Baja Tomatoes and Port Strike

Updates:  CA Stone Fruit and Grapes, Baja Tomatoes and Port Strike

IMG_5703Produce loads are increasing in California for stone fruit and tomatoes, while grape shipments are now light volume from the Arvin district.

California peach shipments

California peach and nectarine shipments have moved into normal weekly volumes, with peak loadings to start in late June to early July from the San Joaquin Valley.  Peach and nectarine shipments should continue into the first or second week of September.  There’s also apricot and cherry shipments.

San Joaquin Valley stone fruit shipments – grossing about $7100 to New York City.

Southern California, Baja Tomatoes

Tomato shipments are ramping up out of California and Baja California and include vine ripes, romas and cherry tomatoes.  Loadings should continue until about the third week of December.  Shipments of mature-greens, vine-ripes  and romas from the Live Oak, CA area in the San Joaquin Valley get underway in mid June.

California grape shipments

While grape shipments continue from the Coachella Valley for perhaps another month, very light volume has started from the Arvin District in the Bakersfield area.

Coachella Valley grape and vegetable shipments – grossing about $4600 to Chicago.

Chilean Fruit Imports

A strike by customs officials, which shut down Chile’s Port of Valparaiso May 20, has ended as negotiators reached an agreement. By May 26, customs officials had been removed from the port, and the port was operating again at a “minimal level.  The strike ended May 28th.  Workers were striking over pay and working conditions.