Southern hemisphere citrus exports have risen by more than 25 percent over the past 10 years, with the European market and the easy peeler category driving much of the growth, according to data from the World Citrus Organization (WCO).
Shipments from the region including South Africa, Peru, Chile, and Argentina – rose 27 percent from 2.6 million metric tons (MT) in 2010 to 3.3 million MT in 2019, with the majority of the growth coming after 2014. The region with the highest share of southern hemisphere citrus imports is the European Union with 34 percent. Next is Asia with 24 percent, North America with 18 percent, the Middle East with 13 percent and Eastern Europe with 7 percent.
The easy peeler category has been responsible for most of the growth. In 2008 there was a volume of 342,000MT of mandarins and tangelos traded worldwide from the southern hemisphere. In 2014 this figure increased slightly to 465,000MT.
However, to 2019 there was an increase to more than 739,000MT, representing 16 percent of southern hemisphere citrus exports. On average in this category there has been a 10 percent growth per year for the last five years.
North America imports the largest volumes of easy peelers from the southern hemisphere, with a total of 39 percent in 2019. Of this total, Chile is the leading exporter to this market with almost 150,000MT. In second place comes Peru with approximately 70,000MT, followed by South Africa, Uruguay and Argentina.
In second place as an importer is the European Union with 27 percent, which is over 200,000MT. In this case, South Africa is in the leading exporter, with a total of almost 150,000MT of the total exported. Peru is followed with a total of approximately 50,000MT.
In third position as an importer is Asia with 18 percent, representing almost 150,000MT, with Australia as the leading exporting country with almost 70,000MT. South Africa follows with 50,000MT, and in last place with 10,000MT each are Peru and Argentina.
Average yields and volume for 2020 is seen by the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Calhoun County.
About a third of the state’s crop is planted there. For the last five years, the state’s total sweet potato acreage has ranged from 27,000 and 30,000 acres.
About 9,000 to 10,000 acres of that total are located in Calhoun County.
This year’s Mississippi sweet potato harvest go underway in September an initial reports from the field indicate an average yield for 2020.
Roughly one-fifth of this year’s planting had been harvested as of September 21, according to a report from the USDA. At that time 64 percent was graded in fair condition, with 26 percent rated good.
A busy Texas port of entry has begun on a $40 million consruction project to cut wait times for produce and other agricultural goods.
Thirteen of 24 new secondary inspection bays at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge will include cold storage unit equipment to ensure inspections don’t harm produce shipments.
“With the continued increase of imports from Mexico, especially produce-related commodities, that require an inspection from our agriculture specialists, having these additional dock spaces will have a significant positive impact on our ability to expedite the processing time and get shipments on their way into U.S. commerce,” Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas director, said in a news release.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, General Services Administration and City of Pharr, Texas, formed a partnership that allows the city to donate to the project.
“The additional cold storage bays will also serve proactively in maintaining the integrity of certain products while they are inspected in climate-controlled areas, rather than exposing them to the South Texas heat,” Rodriguez said.
A 10,000-square-foot inspection and training facility will enhance the Custom and Border Protection’s agricultural specialist ability to detect pests, diseases and related testing on agricultural products.
The port processed nearly 1,800 commercial trucks transporting an average of more than $13 million worth of agricultural products each day in fiscal year 2019, which is nearly 15 percent of all fresh produce imported into the U.S.
“The City of Pharr remains committed to working with our federal partners to identify and implement innovative methods to expedite traffic and trade at our international port of entry, making border crossings and inspections function more effectively while helping our trade partners process and cross their goods more efficiently,” Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez said.
With the Chilean blueberry season just starting, the industry is expecting to continue diversifying its markets and offer a higher proportion of newer and improved varieties.
The U.S. continues to be the main destination market, with 50 percent of exports.
The Chilean Blueberry Committee is reporting stable export volumes for the 2020-21 season. Chile in recent years has been diversifying its export markets with the biggest growths occurring in Asia and Europe.
During the past season shipments to Asia increased by 20 percent and to Europe by 8 percent. On the other hand, shipments to the U.S. – Chile’s leading blueberry market – decreased in the last two seasons, 1 percent last season and 9 percent the one before that.
For this 2020-21 season, the Blueberry Committee projects exports of approximately 154,000 metric tons (MT) of fresh and frozen blueberries. The estimate for fresh blueberries is a little over 111,000 MT – very similar to the volumes of the last two seasons, representing a 2 percent increase over last season.
California walnut shipments for 2020 is estimated at 780,000 short tons, an increase of 19 percent over the prior year. The primary reasons for the increases is due to increases in new acreage, more densely planted orchards, and heavier yielding varieties.
“This year’s expected record crop comes on the heels of strong retail sales, with shoppers’ growing interest in consuming foods with both great taste and functional benefits. In fact, the industry has stepped up to meet consumer demand with exciting new product launches in recent years. And this season, the California Walnut Board’s unprecedented investment in domestic retail promotion will set the stage for continued success,” said Jack Mariani, CWB market development committee chairperson.
Walnut production has doubled in the last 15 years, with new acreage reaching 380,000 with an additional 75,000 acres set to come into production over the next five years.
By Kelly Miller, Assistant Manager, ALC Los Angeles
There is so much uncertainty surrounding this pandemic, we are bound to see impacts on our food system and the supply and demand of fresh produce. Growers, packers, processors, transportation and shipping are some of the industries that have been affected. Halts and delays due to insufficient labor in the fields will cause dwell times to increase for drivers and ultimately delay transportation to stores as well as price hikes and availability of products. Tom Stenzel, CEO of The United Fresh Produce Association, estimates that the produce industry will take a $5 billion dollar hit from the Covid-19 outbreak. Stenzel stated that “restaurants and other foodservice outlets account for as much as 40% of fresh fruit and vegetable sales” and it’s unfathomable to be shifting that amount to retail outlets. So far, we have not seen a shortage of produce in our stores which is great for consumers. Many people are looking to increase their consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables hoping to boost their immune systems in order to stay healthy and combat this virus. Behind the scenes, industry members are dealing with logistical complications like making sure the labor force in the fields, packing houses and stores are safe and employees are able to work. In the transportation industry, there is a growing concern for driver shortages due to health issues as well as limited resources out on the road. Many rest stops have been closed which means limited bathroom or shower availability. These are just a few challenges that drivers are facing and some have even decided to retire early due to the pandemic. I don’t know about you, but I would not want to work without these necessities. I would personally like to take the time to thank all the essential workers. Drivers, growers, manufacturers, grocery store employees and the healthcare workers for they are the heroes in this pandemic!
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Kelly Miller began working for the Allen Lund Company in October of 2001. She started her career as a transportation broker, was promoted to operations manager and now is the assistant manager of the Los Angeles Sales office.
Walmart has launched a pilot program using automated drones to deliver grocery and household items to consumers.
“Our latest initiative has us exploring how drones can deliver items in a way that’s convenient, safe, and – you guessed it – fast,” said Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product for Walmart. “…we’re taking the next step in our exploration of on-demand delivery by announcing a new pilot with Flytrex, an end-to-end drone delivery company.”
The pilot launched recently in Fayetteville, NC, and focuses on delivering select grocery and household essential items from Walmart stores using Flytrex’s automated drones. The drones, which are controlled over the cloud using a smart and easy control dashboard, will help the company gain valuable insight into the customer and associate experience, from picking and packing to takeoff and delivery.
“We know that it will be some time before we see millions of packages delivered via drone,” said Ward. “That still feels like a bit of science fiction, but we’re at a point where we’re learning more and more about the technology that is available and how we can use it to make our customers’ lives easier. Take for example our autonomous vehicle work with Gatik, Ford and Nuro – we’ve gained loads of valuable insight into how autonomous vehicles fit within our business.”
The company said at the end of the day, it’s learnings from pilots such as this that will help shape the potential of drone delivery on a larger scale.
A modest 3 percent increase over last season is being forecast by the USDA for Mexican avocados.
Mexico is the leading producer and exporter of avocados globally, with nearly 964,000 metric tons valued at over $2.4 billion exported to the United States in 2019-20, a historical record for both quantity and value.
Mexican avocado production is predicted to rise by 3 percent over last season in the 2020-21 season to 2.41m metric tons (MT). The predicted increase for the crop year running from July through June is due to continued expansion in planted area and optimal weather conditions without hail or frost during the growing season.
Planted and harvested areas are expected to increase to 243,640 hectares (ha) and 232,495 ha, respectively, with a national yield of 10.36 MT/ha. Avocado production in 2019-20 reached 2.32m MT, 6 percent greater compared to 2018-19 on the increased planted area.
The peak harvest period is from October to February, with an average supply from March to May. The the low volume season is from June to September.
Production in the state of Michoacán, the only state with U.S. market access, was seven percent higher compared to the previous marketing year, and production and exports are expected to grow even further in 2020-21. Despite Covid-19 pandemic challenges to agricultural harvests and supply chains, avocado demand in the United States remained strong and is forecast to increase.
The California prune harvest has wrapped up, with early forecasts of a short crop at 45,000 metric tons, a 37 percent drop from the previous season.
Combined with “carry-in” from last season however handlers should have sufficient supplies for the season, according to the California Prune Board, Roseville, CA.
Growers worked through COVID-19 disruptions and wildfires during harvest, but the “optimum range of sizes” sets up excellent opportunities to market the crop this season, according to a news release from the board.
“While the pandemic has fueled consumers’ focus on healthy foods, the California prune industry regularly promotes the nutritional profile and invests in nutrition research that elevates the health benefits of prunes,” Donn Zea, executive director of the board. “We are grateful that so many consumers have chosen California prunes during this time. We plan on doing everything we can to earn and keep their trust.”
The industry is focused on maintaining a balance of supply and demand through the season.
During the 2019 season, which ended July 31, California prune exports rose 17 percent, and domestic shipments were 12 percent higher than the previous season, according to the board.
The California Prune Board represents about 800 growers, who produce about 40 percent of the world’s supply on 40,000 acres.
U.S. fresh fruit imports in July fell by 14 percent from last year to $857million, driven by declines in Hass avocados and bananas, according to the USDA.
While the figure is a big decline from the previous year, it is only marginally below the level recorded in July 2018. Hass avocados – which in July typically represent around a quarter of the U.S.’s total fresh fruit imports by value – fell by 32 percent to $189 million.
Bananas were the other major fruit import to experience big decline, falling 15 percent to $147 million. Imports of citrus overall remained flat at $184.3 million, although mandarin imports almost doubled in the month to hit $42.5 million, while lemons and clementines both saw declines of about 30 percent.
The fresh deciduous fruit category also fell, declining by 28 percent to $68.9 million, which was largely due to lower imports of table grapes and apples.
Imports from Mexico – which in July usually supplies around a third of the total – dropped by 14 percent to $317.6 million. Meanwhile, fresh fruit imports from Peru also fell by 14 percent to $104.4 million.
