Posts Tagged “Chilean fruit imports.”
The roller coaster ride of Western desert lettuce volume has steadied in recent weeks. More consistent loading opportunities will hopefully continue the rest of the season from Yuma and the Imperial Valley.
Lettuce shipments should remain in good volume until around April 1st, before a seasonal decline ends the season by mid April. At this point lettuce shipments will shift to Huron, CA for about three weeks before heading into the Salinas spring season.
Yuma lettuce and other vegetables – grossing about $4700 to Atlanta.
Chilean Fruit Imports
Central Chile has recently had relative humidity levels not seen in many years, leading to further losses for table grape growers. Recent rains have resulted in losses of 30 percent for Flames (red grapes) and Superiors (green grapes) in the area. Three years ago when this happened there was a lof of rot with grapes.
Normally there would be humidity of 20-40 perecent, instead of 80 percent.
This means a large amount of fruit will not meet export standards for lacking quality standards.
Apple Shipments
About 75.3 million bushels of U.S.-grown fresh-market apples had yet to be shipped as of February 1, 21 percent less than last year at the same time.
The February total was also one percent lower than the five-year average, according to the February Market News report from the Vienna, Va.-based U.S. Apple Association.
Washington accounted for 64.9 million bushels of the February 1 apples remaining in storage. New York had 4.2 million bushels, Michigan 3.4 million bushels and Pennsylvania 1.1 million bushels.
Yakima Valley apples – grossing about $3700 to Chicago.
Texas grapefruit shipments will increase significantly this season; Chilean grape imports are coming soon; while domestic apple loadings will be down in double digits.Texas grapefruit shipments account for about 75 percent of Texas’ citrus production, with oranges comprising most of the rest. Last season, Texas shipped 452,000 cartons, which is expected to increase to 580,000 in 2015-16. Unlike recent years, when the drought in the Lower Rio Grande Valley adversely affected production, this year there has been an abundance of rain.
Lower Rio Grande Valley citrus and imported Mexican mixed veggies, fruit and tomatoes – grossing about $2600 to Chicago.
Chilean Fruit Imports
As the Chilean summer fruit season gets underway, table grapes once again will be the leading commodity imported by the U.S. Last year, Chile shipped 356,691 tons of grapes to the U.S.
Last year, Chilean growers shipped 356,691 tons of grapes to the U.S. First arrivals to the U.S. will come in mid December, but significant volume will not happen until the New Year.
Apple Shipments
Washington’s apple shipments are declining in volume and the amount of apples in storage nationwide are also down. Washington’s fresh crop is now estimated at 116.2 million, 40-pound boxes, down about 1.5 percent from a month ago and about 18 percent from the final 2014 record season of 141.8 million boxes.
Yakima and Wenatchee Valley apple shippers have sold 19.6 million boxes of apples compared with 23.6 million a year ago and that leaves 96.6 million boxes to sell throughout the year. This compares to 118.2 million a year ago.
Nationally, there are 117.3 million, 42-pound boxes in storage, a 19 percent decrease from record inventories a year ago.
Michigan apple shipments – $3200 to Dallas.
Washington apple shipments – grossing about $4550 to Chicago.
Produce 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.
While loadings of Mexican grown veggies are quickly becoming history at Nogales, AZ distribution centers, watermelons from south of the border are rapidly increasing, and will soon be followed by grapes.
Easter is April 20th and loading opportunities should be good during the next week to 10 days for arrivals of melons on the retail produce shelves. Mexican watermelon shipments are much early than normal due to warm weather in Mexico.
Mexican Grape Shipments
Meanwhile, Mexican grape loadings will be the earliest they’ve been in the past five years. Light volume of Mexican green grapes will be crossing the border at Nogales the last week of April, while red grapes will likely follow in early May. Good volume should be available on both greens and reds by May 15.
Meanwhile, there’s a great variety of various vegetables and tropical fruit crossing the border from Mexico into South Texas. The Lower Rio Grande Valley continues to ship citrus and onions.
South Texas produce – grossing about $5300 to New York City.
Chilean Fruit Imports
Name just about any fruit import from Chile this season and there has been signficantly less volume. This goes for grapes, stone fruit, etc. While these items are pretty much finished for the season, Chilean kiwi imports are just getting underway. However, the forecast says there will be a 55 percent decrease in Chilean kiwi this season.