Forever Fresh of Wilimington, DL reports anticipating good volumes of Chilean cherries and stone fruit as well as Peruvian grapes this season.
The importer notes its first two Chilean fruits this season are cherries and stone fruit and are looking “pretty good.” The Chilean cherry season is underway, and Chile’s total exports are expected to increase. The stone fruit season has just started.
Chile-based Garcés fruit – an owner of Forever Fresh is one of the world’s largest cherry exporters. It has been shipping steady volumes into the U.S. over at least a decade. The company may see a gradual increase in shipments to the U.S. as Garcés’ new plantings come into production, but there may not be a rise in total volumes from Chile despite an expected production increase of up to 15 percent. This is because the volumes out of Chile to the U.S. have been decreasing every year, with the volumes increasing in Chile.
The additional volume probably will be exported to Asia rather than coming to the U.S.
The stone fruit harvest started in mid-November, with the first arrivals in the U.S. set for early December. Additionally, there will be larger volumes of newer varieties – especially of plums and nectarines – from trees planted in Chile over the past five to six years.
The Peruvian grape season is underway, with expectations of a significant increase in volume over last year. There will be an increase in total production in Peru, although it will vary between different areas, but in general expectations are for around a 20 percent increase.
Forever Fresh’s first containers of Peruvian grapes arrived in mid-November, with the peak season set to begin in December.
Containerized cargo business at Port Manatee in Palmetto, FL has rose at a record pace, in part due to fruit imports.
The port posted a 55 percent increase as the fiscal year ended in September, with an all-time high of 88,466 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs). The previous fiscal year saw 57,239 TEUs, which was also a huge increase, at almost a 50 percent increase.
“With container throughput more than doubling over the course of just two years, Port Manatee is increasingly fulfilling regional consumer demands for goods ranging from fresh produce to appliances,” Carlos Buqueras, Port Manatee’s executive director, said in a news release. “As our dockside container yard expansion project advances toward mid-2021 completion, Port Manatee is positioning to continue to efficiently handle rapidly growing cargo volumes.”
The container yard expansion will nearly double the current 10-acre paved area.
The port’s container trade is being driven by growth of World Direct Shipping, which imports produce and other goods from Mexico since 2014, and Fresh Del Monte Produce Co., which has been importing fruit from Latin America for decades through the port.
Priscilla Whisenant Trace, chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority, said the port’s latest cargo cargo increases, happened as the port implemented enhanced health and safety measures because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We commend the men and women who are maintaining essential operations at Port Manatee, serving consumers of Southwest Florida and beyond,” she said in the release. “Sustained growth of Port Manatee’s container trade is a testament to success of our diverse strategy, with key infrastructure investments poised to facilitate even greater cargo activity and deliver still more positive socioeconomic impacts throughout our region.”
Peruvian table grape exports should increase 2 percent for the 2021 season compared to a year ago, according to a projection by the USDA. This would place exports at 412,000 metric tons (MT).
This is a contrast to estimates from the Peruvian table grape association Provid in October forecasting exports would rise by 16 percent to 56 million box equivalents to 8.2 kilos, which would be 426,000MT.
The USDA reports the U.S. was the top export destination in the 2019 calendar year, accounting for 38 percent of total exports. Other markets are the Netherlands and Hong Kong with 15 and 10 percent of the export market share, respectively.
Fresh table grapes are one of the top produce exports by value for Peru and 2020 export value expected to reach $1 billion.
Peruvian grape exports to the U.S. peak in December and January due to seasonally higher prices. Between October 2019 and March 2020, Peru became the leading grape supplier to China accounting for 48 percent of market share. Total table grape production in Peru is forecast to reach 665,000 MT in 2020/2021 (October-September), a two percent increase over the previous year.
Favorable weather conditions, good water supply and growing demand are driving this increase. Peru has a dry coast with a range of temperatures and over 12 hours of sunlight per day, year-round, which makes it an ideal region for grape production. These conditions combined with precision irrigation enables Peru to mature vines 55 percent faster than in neighboring countries, the USDA report said.
Grape production is mainly located in Ica (41 percent) and Piura (22 percent), and the total area under cultivation is estimated at 31,500 hectares. Harvesting season in Peru begins in late October and ends in April. The Red Globe variety dominates production, as it remains popular in the growing Chinese market. However, producers are shifting toward higher value varieties to supply other markets.
Record pistachio shipments are expected to take place starting this fall.
The American Pistachio Growers of Fresno, CA believe the current harvest could hit the one billion-pound mark for the first time in California.
An advertising campaign focuses on pistachios as a “complete protein,” joining the ranks of plant proteins that include quinoa, chickpeas and soybeans that are popular among vegetarians and consumers wishing to move away from animal proteins, according to a news release.
Beginning in mid-November and continuing through next summer, ads will appear in 44 U.S. television markets. American Pistachio Growers is sponsoring New Year’s Eve countdowns in Las Vegas and Dallas.
Pistachios rank sixth in terms of value among California commodities, at $1.94 billion, according to 2019 data from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and are the second in export commodities, at $1.1 billion.
A Rabobank report projects bearing pistachio acreage could reach 372,000 acres by 2024-25, a 30 percent increase from the most recent season.
American Pistachio Growers represents more than 800 growers and processors in California, Arizona and New Mexico.
September spot refrigerated truckload rates hit an all-time high, according to Portland, Ore.-based DAT Freight & Analytics.
“We’re seeing strong volumes across equipment types as the economy continues to recover, particularly in areas related to consumer spending,” Ken Adamo, chief of analytics at DAT, said in the release. “Spot market rates just keep climbing as companies turn to the spot market to help them manage imbalances in their supply chains.”
Spot reefer volumes fell for the third month in a row, down 1.3 percent month over month, according to DAT. However, DAT said the national average reefer load-to-truck ratio was 9.7 in September, more than five times higher than April’s record low of 1.7 loads per truck.
The DAT Truckload Volume Index, a measure of dry van, reefer and flatbed loads moved by truckload carriers, rose 6.1 percent from last month and was 13 percent higher than September 2019.
The national average spot reefer rate was $2.57 per mile, up 13 cents compared to August, and 41 cents higher year-over-year.
Grocery store chains are adjusting their lean-inventory strategies and have begun stockpiling for a possible surge of COVID-19 cases in the fall and winter;
The holiday shopping season will start earlier and last longer to accommodate shifting demand from consumers;
The accelerated inventory build-ups add yet another dimension to an already disjointed freight market, as manufacturers work to avoid the inventory failures seen in March this year;
DAT’s September FMIC Pulse Signal report forecasts that year-over-year changes in active contract rates will continue to remain below 2019 levels through the end of the year, but average contract rates forecast to increase in the first half of 2021; and
The amount of freight moving on the spot market in August increased by 80 percent year over year.
A good season for Chilean blueberry production and exports to the U.S. through the winter months is anticipated by industry observers.
Last Land Farms SA reports the U.S. market continues to be a major market of the Chilean “blues”, and volume should be similar to the 2019-20 season.
The Chilean Blueberry Committee estimates fresh exports for the current season at 111,500 tons, very close in volume to 2019-20 and 2 percent higher than the previous season.
For 2019-20, Chile’s peak volume months for blueberry shipments to the U.S. were December, January and February. Chilean exporters sent about one third (32 percent) of the country’s annual shipments by value to the U.S. in January last season, followed by February (27 percent) and December (23 percent).
Total Chilean blueberry exports to the U.S. in the 2019-20 season (September 2019 through August 2020) were valued at $209.7 million, off from $269.9 million the previous season and down nearly $110 million from 2017-18.
Chile’s share of total U.S. blueberry imports was 24 percent in 2019, down from 33 percent in 2018 and 44 percent in 2015. Peru has seen its share of value of U.S. blueberry imports grow from 9 percent in 2015 to 41 percent in 2019.
ACF Global Sourcing reports its fresh blueberry season should be around 112,000 tons, but if markets during the last weeks of December, January and February show unexpected returns and those are favorable, the total exports could increase 5 to 10 percent. The company has about 15,000 to 20,000 tons which could go to either fresh or frozen depending on markets.
An estimated that around 20,000 acres of banana plantations have been lost in Honduras due to flooding from Hurricane Eta. The estimate would represent about half of the total acres in the Central American country, which bore much of the brunt of the recent storm.
The storm came amid one of the most severe Atlantic hurricane seasons on record and caused widespread damage to the region. One banana grower estimated it was the largest damage in history for bananas. It is estimated at least 16,000 direct jobs are at risk in the Honduran banana industry and the volume of fruit exported will decrease. The most affected areas in the country is Olanchito, which sits along the Aguán River.
One of the banks of the river overflowed and resulted in a total loss for the Standard Fruit Company of 4950 acres of bananas. The Agriculture Ministry said that there was also severe damage to the production of corn, sugar, and rice. With dropping flood waters hundreds of thousands of households, businesses and farmers across the country are beginning to count the damage.
Between September 2019 through August U.S. imports of fresh vegetables were up 11 percent, according to the USDA.
While fresh vegetable imports were up by double-digit percentages, the USDA reported fresh and frozen fruit imports gained just 2 percent compared with the previous year.
Among vegetables with big import gains, the USDA noted fresh garlic imports for the year ending in August were up 58 percent — the result of a COVID-19 immunity buying frenzy. Other double digit gains were noted for tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, potatoes and beans.
Fast-rising imports of fruit commodities were noted for mangoes (up 15 percent) and kiwifruit (up 19 percent), By fresh commodities (except as noted), U.S. imports from September 2019 through August, with percent change compared with the previous year, are:
Florida fall produce shipments are building in volume and it is shaping up to be a relatively normal shipping season.
Sweet corn, leafy greens, peppers and other fall-winter crops are just getting underway and light volumes of strawberries started in early November.
Florida ships a wide variety of products in a relatively tight geographic area and is in full swing in fall and winter when most of the rest of the U.S. is dormant although the Sunshine State’s biggest volume is typically in April and May.
Lipman Family Farms of Immokalee, FL., grows vegetables and tomatoes in Florida’s open fields but also in greenhouses in Nebraska, Canada and Mexico.
Strawberries
In November 2019, Florida’s strawberries were just getting started, shipping 2.2 million pounds compared with California’s 69.5 million pounds.
But Florida stepped in December with 31.6 million pounds as California started its dip with 20.5 million.
Mexico, however, shipped 19.3 million pounds into the U.S. in November and 44.7 million pounds in December.
Wish Farms of Plant City, FL., will begin strawberry shipments in late November and ramp up volume in December in time for the holidays.
Florida has little, if any, domestic competition for its sweet corn crop in the fall and winter.
The USDA notes 24.5 million pounds of corn were shipped from Florida in November 2019, compared to 3.7 million pounds from Southern California and 8.4 million pounds from Georgia — the only other two states that ship corn in November.
In 2019, Florida was the only state shipping corn in December and earlier in the year, January through March.
As far as imports, Mexico shipped 7.4 million pounds of corn in November 2019, then surpassing Florida in December, with 19.3 million pounds compared to Florida’s 17.8 million.
Scotlynn Sweet Pac Growers has sweet corn in Belle Glade, FL, Bainbridge, GA., and Vittoria. but its Georgia crop was dealt a blow by the weather.
Florida is also a big cucumber state. For the fall-winter seasons, they start trickling into the market in August, get going in September and peak in November.
In November 2019, the state shipped 21.3 million pounds of cucumbers, which is 2.5 times more than the only other state growing enough commercially to be listed — Georgia at 7.4 million pounds.
In December, Florida was the only state in the U.S. shipping cucumbers.
However, Mexico shipped 95 million pounds of cucumbers into the U.S. in November 2019, more than four times as many as Florida did.
Seald Sweet International/Greenyard USA markets fruit for Hunt Bros. Citrus, handling Florida grapefruit, oranges and tangerines with a packing house in Lake Wales.
A slight dip in volume is expected compared to last year in oranges and grapefruit.
The USDA forecast the 2020-21 Florida orange crop — 96 percent which is processed for juice — to be down 15 percent from last season.
And Florida’s grapefruit production, 40 percent of which is sold fresh, is estimated to drop by 7.3 percent compared with last season.
