Posts Tagged “Coachella Valley”
Big volume Mexican grape shipments are underway and volume and is more than double that of California’s Coachella Valley, which also has is shipping. Meanwhile, here’s a peak at Hood River pear shipments coming this summer.
Mexican grape shipments should hit nearly 20 million cases this year, exceeding 2016 volume by 3.3 million cases.
Nearly all Mexican grapes are grown in the state of Sonora.
Export volume this season is estimated at 19.4 million cartons compared to last year’s total exports of 16.1 million.
As usual, 2017’s biggest increase will come from the red Flame variety, which is up 1.3 million cases over a year ago. Flames this year should total of 10.5 million cases from Sonora. A year ago, that production was 9.2 million, or an increase of 12.5 percent.
With 3.9 million cases, Sugraone again exceeds the green grape category with the Sugraone volume up by 22.9 percent. This is 892,000 cases more thane 2016, totaling 3 million cases. The third-largest Sonoran grape category this year are green grapes, which includes Perlettes, Primes and early green varieties. T hat total volume is expected to be up 17.2 percent this year to 3 million cases, up 515,000 from last year.
The biggest increase for 2017, is the black grape volume at 35.3 percent. Black grapes this year should total 900,000 cartons compared to 582,000 in 2016.
Red Globe production in 2017 is up 26.1 percent to 700,000 and other varieties are up 25.6 percent to 400,000 this season.
Sonoran volume was building in early May, and peaked in mid-May with heavy shipments seen forfor Memorial Day (May 29) and well into June. Mexican grape shipments continue until late June.
Oregon Pear Shipments
Oregon’s Hood River pear shipments will start later this season due to winter growing conditions. A year ago, the regional harvest and packing got under way the last week of July The 2017 season is running seven to 10 days later than normal, and three weeks behind a year ago. This means shipments of bartletts and starkrimson won’t start until later in August. Pear loading will continue through October. Green anjou, red anjou, bosc, comice, forelle and seckel are usually about three weeks behind bartletts and should start shipping by mid-September.
Although it’s very doubtful any of the shippers in the Coachella Valley will be able to provide you with a full load of vegetables, there is decent volume with veggies being shipped in the weeks ahead.
Eggplant loadings have just started and should continue into late June. Shipments of beans started in mid April and was followed by bell peppers and corn, which should continue into the first week of June.
Mature-green tomatoes are just now starting and should last until the first or second week of June. Green tomatoes in the desert should continue until “greens” start out of the San Joaquin Valley.
In addition to corn, beans, eggplant and tomatoes, the Coachella Valley also is shipping bell peppers, seeded watermelons; cucumbers, and hard squash. May and June will be peak shipping months for most of these items.
Red grapefruit from the desert has been going on for several months and loadings should continue through May.
Grapes
Very light volume of Coachella Valley table grapes get underway this week, although it will be at least two more weeks before the is good volume.
Last year Coachella shipped about 5.6 million boxes of table grapes. This year, shippers believe there will around 5.8 million 6.2 million boxes shipped.
Coachella shippers are hopeful good volume will occur in time for the Memorial Day holiday (May 25-27).
California desert vegetables – grossing about $7300 to New York City.