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The latest Mango Crop Report by the National Mango Board shows there’s going to be an increase in overall mango volume shipped to the United States in December, an increase mostly attributed to an uptick in Peruvian and Ecuadorian fruit.
The 2024 Peruvian season is expected to be about 248% higher than 2023, with a projection of approximately 20.7 million boxes. Volume shipped from Peru was approximately 843,470 boxes for a total of 1,867,105 boxes for the season, an increase of over 700,000 boxes compared to 2023, during the same week.
The Kent variety makes up a little over 93% of shipments, followed by Ataulfo (5%), Keitt (0.8%), and other varieties (0.5%)
Ecuador’s mango season began the first week of September and will run until the last week of December. Currently, the country is in the process of harvesting and/or packing, and volumes shipped on the week ending 11/23/2024 were approximately 1,078,651 boxes for a total of 12,074,802 boxes for the season. This is an astounding increase compared to the 416,548 boxes during the same week last year.
Ecuador’s most traded varieties are Tommy Atkins, making up a little over 43%, followed closely by Kent, which makes up 39.7% of the overall volume shipped, followed by Keitt (12%) and Ataulfo (5%). Other varieties make up only 0.1%.
Brazilian mango season, on the other hand, is expected to be about 32% lower YOY, although volume shipped during the period is higher compared to last year, same date, the overall total of boxes for the season is projected to be around 8,167,073, nearly a 3 million decrease from last year. The Brazilian mango season began in the first week of August and will run until the last week of December.
The total mango volume shipped during the last week of November was approximately 2,424,189 boxes, with two main mango varieties being shipped to the United States, Kent (59%) and Tommy Atkins (24%).
Peak volume tomato shipments from Florida are on their way.
In 2023, Florida shipped fresh open-field tomatoes from October through July, with peak shipments from October through May. Leading tomato-producing counties in Florida include Hillsborough County, Manatee County, Hendry County, Palm Beach County and Collier County.
Florida tomato acreage in 2023 totaled about 30,000 acres, of which about 29,00 acres were harvested, according to USDA numbers.
With yields of 300 hundredweight per acre, the value of the 2023 Florida tomato crop was estimated at $493.6 million, according to the USDA. Total tomato harvested volume was 8.97 million hundredweight.
The USDA’s annual shipment summary reported that Florida accounted for 23.44 million 25-pound cartons of open-field fresh round tomato truck shipments in 2023. That accounted for about 56% of total domestic fresh round tomato truck shipments.
The USDA reported that only 8,000 25-pound cartons of Florida organic round tomatoes were shipped in 2023.
Florida cherry tomato shipments in 2023 totaled 344,000 25-pound cartons, just over 70% of USDA-reported cherry tomato shipments.
Florida grape tomato shipments in 2023 were reported at 2.148 million 25-pound cartons, or about 71% of total domestic grape tomato shipments.
Florida plum tomato shipments in 2023 were reported at 8.17 million 25-pound cartons by the USDA, or 61% of total domestic plum tomato volume.
For central and south Florida, the USDA reported that average prices for 5×6-size mature green tomatoes in 25-pound cartons began in early November and continued through mid-May. Prices for the 2023-24 season began in early November in a range from $14.95 to $18.95 per carton. Prices topped $30 per carton in late December and topped $37 per carton in late January and early February.
A strong comeback is being experienced for California table grapes after facing challenges during the 2023-24 season. USDA data reveals the state had shipped 71 million boxes by early November, 12 million more than during the same period last season.
All table grape shipments are coming from the San Joaquin Valley, which typically operates between June and January. On Nov. 8 alone, the state shipped a little over 705,000 boxes of table grapes.
With harvest ongoing, the industry expects to harvest a crop of over 90 million boxes and to continue shipping through December.
According to USDA data, last season ended with 69.7 million boxes shipped from California, a season heavily impacted by Tropical Storm Hilary in August.
Over the last four years, California has shipped fewer boxes by this point in the season, with the highest volume during that period in 2022 at 70.6 million boxes.
Ample onion supplies with good quality are expected by growers and shippers for the holidays and beyond.
The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee of Parma, ID reports harvest of yellow, red and white onions has been completed for the 2024-25 season.
The means a consistent supply and quality in all sizes and colors are available for shipping.
Peri & Sons Farms Inc. of Yerington, NV completed its onion harvest in late October and is pleased with onion quality and sizing.
The grower/packer/shipper offers red, yellow and white onions along with a sweet, proprietary variety called Sweetie and a tearless sweet onion with low acid content called Sweetie Tearless. The company also ships cipollinis, shallots and some garlic.
Wada Farms Marketing Group, Idaho Falls, Idaho, finished harvesting its red, yellow and white onions in mid-October, and expects a good crop without any supply issues.
Wada Farms ships its storage crop from July to April or May then sources from other areas, such as California, Arizona and New Mexico during the summer.
Eagle Eye Produce of Idaho Falls, ID reports plenty of good-quality onions and yields this year.
About 80% of the company’s onions are sold in 25- and 50-pound bags and boxes. The rest are loaded in consumer packs.
Wilcox Fresh of Rexburg, ID focuses on Spanish sweet onions grown mainly in western Idaho and eastern Oregon.
The company’s main program runs from August to April with summer onions sourced from Southern California and New Mexico.
The initial apples remaining in storage report of the 2024-25 season shows fresh apple holdings are down 7% over November 2023, but still 8% more than the five-year average for the month of November, according to The U.S. Apple Association of Falls Church, VA.
USApple reports this includes over 95% of the country’s national storage capacity.
The report shows processing apples in storage are also down — about 9% — over last year, but equal to the November five-year average.
Washington leads the states with 31,187,651 bushels of apples in regular storage and 110,287,587 in controlled atmosphere storage. New York came in second with 4,969,991 bushels in regular storage and 8,764,168 bushels in controlled atmosphere. Michigan was third with 2,615,000 bushels of apples in regular storage and 8,637,000 bushels in controlled atmosphere storage. Pennsylvania was fourth with 1,711,783 bushels of apples in regular storage and 2,967,826 bushels in controlled atmosphere, and Virginia rounded out the top five with 683,091 bushels in regular storage and 1,040,853 bushels in controlled atmosphere.
While Washington’s holdings as of November are slightly lower than holdings in November 2023, it’s still slightly above the five-year average. The same is true for Michigan and New York. Pennsylvania’s holdings are down from 2023 and below the five-year average. Virginia’s holdings are down this year, but similar to the five-year average for the state.
As of this report, Cosmic Crisp led the varieties in regular storage with 5,182,685 bushels, Pink Lady/cripps pink was second spot with 4,698,124 bushels in regular storage, fuji was third with 4,176,483 bushels, Honeycrisp was fourth at 4,069,109 bushels in regular storage and granny smith was fifth with 3,981,225 bushels in regular storage.
For apples in controlled atmosphere storage, gala outpaces all other varieties with 26,107,068 bushels, followed by red delicious at 20,056,203 bushels, Honeycrisp with 16,910,664 bushels, granny smith with 16,486,909 bushels and fuji with 12,337,186 bushels.
Researchers at the University of Lleida (UdL) have discovered that red-fleshed apples improve endothelial function, which regulates blood flow, reduces inflammation, and modulates the immune system in people with high cholesterol.
Laura Rubió, one of the project’s lead researchers, highlighted that the benefits of red-fleshed apples are “superior” due to the significant improvement in inflammation markers. This variety is not grown in Spain, and now researchers are looking for ways to process and commercialize it so consumers can benefit.
The ‘AppleCOR’ project emerged from a collaboration with IRTA, which was testing a red-fleshed apple grown and sold in northern European countries but not in Spain.
This is because red-fleshed apples contain “anthocyanic phenolic” compounds, which are also found in fruits like blueberries and black grapes. These compounds had never been studied at such levels in apples before, and since they are known to have health benefits, the researchers decided to investigate if the same effects occurred in this apple variety.
By the middle of October Peruvian asparagus exports totaled 71,630 tons for a FOB value of $199 million, reflecting a drop of 8 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Agraria, citing a recent report by Fresh Cargo Peru.
The report says that in this period the primary destination for Peruvian asparagus was North America, which concentrated 74 percent of Peruvian shipments for a value of $133,476,273. In second place was Europe (24 percent) with $7,926,620; followed by Latin America (2 percent) with $5,028,451; Asia (0.5 percent) with $1,956,400; and the Middle East (0.1 percent) with $413,734.
60 percent of these shipments were made by boat, while 40 percent were shipped by air.
The report reveals among the largest exporting companies in the industry are Agroexportaciones Nathanael with a 10 percent share of total Peruvian shipments, which amounts to 6,827 tons. It is followed by Danper Trujillo with a 6 percent share and 4,398 tons; TA Export with 6 percent and 4,173 tons; Kimsa Fresh with 5 percent and 3,843 tons; Florida Blanca with 5 percent and 3,258 tons.
The USDA is reporting New Zealand apple exports in 2024-25 are projected at 380,000 metric tons, up 40,000 metric tons from 2023-24 exports.
“If realized, this would be the highest exports since 2019-20, and the third-most volume of apple exports in a year,” the report said.
The harvest season in New Zealand starts in January and finishes in June, with peak harvest for apples from March to May.
The USDA said New Zealand’s export priorities will likely focus on Vietnam, China, the U.S. and the United Kingdom in the foreseeable future. India also is projected to be a growing market for New Zealand exporters, the report said.
U.S. imports of New Zealand apples in 2024 were valued at $44.9 million, down from $69.2 million in 2023, according to USDA trade numbers.
Royal gala was the most significant variety for export from New Zealand in 2023-24, however, the USDA said increased export demand for varieties such as Envy, Dazzle, and the new variety Rockit has resulted in increased unit pricing per metric ton.
“Commentary from growers is that with the current replacement of damaged orchards and increasing interest rates, farm gate returns will be a substantial factor in the selection of future varieties,” the report said. “As a result, the industry already sees diminishing hectares for varieties such as Braeburn, which in 2011-12 accounted for 22% of national hectares and in 2023-24 was just 6%.”
Growers in New Zealand are replacing apple trees lost to Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.
“The cyclone caused considerable damage due to large-scale floodwaters, silt, debris, wind, and surface flooding in the primary apple-growing regions of Hawkes Bay and Gisborne,” the USDA said.
New Zealand’s apple planted area in the 2024-25 market year is forecast to increase substantially to 27,181 acres, up from 22,700 acres last season. Apple area expected to be harvested is estimated at 25,833 acres, up from about 22,000 acres in 2022-23.
“Although the recovery from the Cyclone damage is underway, on-farm inflation and debt servicing continue to put cost pressure on the growth of the industry,” the report said.
As the nation adjusts to the results of the 2024 election, agricultural leaders and third-party logistics (3PL) providers are positioned to play pivotal roles in addressing challenges and opportunities within the produce supply chain. Decisions made in the coming months will directly influence how agricultural products move efficiently from farms to consumers.
With President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team preparing key appointments in the Department of Agriculture (USDA), early decisions on leadership will set the tone for the administration’s approach to pressing agricultural issues. For 3PL providers, leadership developments highlight the importance of collaboration with ag leaders to ensure reliable and efficient transportation solutions based on evolving policies. These appointments will likely shape trade policies, domestic farm support, and regulatory practices, potentially mirroring the significant shifts seen during Trump’s previous term, focusing on strengthening U.S. agricultural competitiveness globally.
The trucking industry’s strong endorsement of Sean Duffy’s nomination as Secretary of Transportation highlights the potential for alignment between industry needs and DOT goals. American Trucking Association’s President Chris Spear commended Duffy’s understanding of transportation issues, emphasizing his support for “pro-trucking policies to strengthen the supply chain.” This alignment could accelerate critical projects, such as reducing bottlenecks in transportation corridors, modernizing storage facilities, and improving logistics networks in rural areas. Ag leaders, working closely with the DOT, can advocate for targeted investments that address the unique demands of agriculture. One area of focus, infrastructure improvements, presents a significant opportunity to enhance the agricultural supply chain. Combined with Trump’s focus on efficiency and safety, these developments could revolutionize the movement of agricultural products, bolstering the role of 3PLs in seamlessly connecting producers to markets both domestically and internationally.
The latest Mango Crop Report by the National Mango Board shows there’s going to be an increase in overall mango volume shipped to the United States in December, an increase mostly attributed to an uptick in Peruvian and Ecuadorian fruit.
The 2024 Peruvian season is expected to be about 248% higher than 2023, with a projection of approximately 20.7 million boxes. Volume shipped from Peru was approximately 843,470 boxes for a total of 1,867,105 boxes for the season, an increase of over 700,000 boxes compared to 2023, during the same week.
The Kent variety makes up a little over 93% of shipments, followed by Ataulfo (5%), Keitt (0.8%), and other varieties (0.5%)
Ecuador’s mango season began the first week of September and will run until the last week of December. Currently, the country is in the process of harvesting and/or packing, and volumes shipped on the week ending 11/23/2024 were approximately 1,078,651 boxes for a total of 12,074,802 boxes for the season. This is an astounding increase compared to the 416,548 boxes during the same week last year.
Ecuador’s most traded varieties are Tommy Atkins, making up a little over 43%, followed closely by Kent, which makes up 39.7% of the overall volume shipped, followed by Keitt (12%) and Ataulfo (5%). Other varieties make up only 0.1%.
Brazilian mango season, on the other hand, is expected to be about 32% lower YOY, although volume shipped during the period is higher compared to last year, same date, the overall total of boxes for the season is projected to be around 8,167,073, nearly a 3 million decrease from last year. The Brazilian mango season began in the first week of August and will run until the last week of December.
The total mango volume shipped during the last week of November was approximately 2,424,189 boxes, with two main mango varieties being shipped to the United States, Kent (59%) and Tommy Atkins (24%).
Peak volume tomato shipments from Florida are on their way.
In 2023, Florida shipped fresh open-field tomatoes from October through July, with peak shipments from October through May. Leading tomato-producing counties in Florida include Hillsborough County, Manatee County, Hendry County, Palm Beach County and Collier County.
Florida tomato acreage in 2023 totaled about 30,000 acres, of which about 29,00 acres were harvested, according to USDA numbers.
With yields of 300 hundredweight per acre, the value of the 2023 Florida tomato crop was estimated at $493.6 million, according to the USDA. Total tomato harvested volume was 8.97 million hundredweight.
The USDA’s annual shipment summary reported that Florida accounted for 23.44 million 25-pound cartons of open-field fresh round tomato truck shipments in 2023. That accounted for about 56% of total domestic fresh round tomato truck shipments.
The USDA reported that only 8,000 25-pound cartons of Florida organic round tomatoes were shipped in 2023.
Florida cherry tomato shipments in 2023 totaled 344,000 25-pound cartons, just over 70% of USDA-reported cherry tomato shipments.
Florida grape tomato shipments in 2023 were reported at 2.148 million 25-pound cartons, or about 71% of total domestic grape tomato shipments.
Florida plum tomato shipments in 2023 were reported at 8.17 million 25-pound cartons by the USDA, or 61% of total domestic plum tomato volume.
For central and south Florida, the USDA reported that average prices for 5×6-size mature green tomatoes in 25-pound cartons began in early November and continued through mid-May. Prices for the 2023-24 season began in early November in a range from $14.95 to $18.95 per carton. Prices topped $30 per carton in late December and topped $37 per carton in late January and early February.
A strong comeback is being experienced for California table grapes after facing challenges during the 2023-24 season. USDA data reveals the state had shipped 71 million boxes by early November, 12 million more than during the same period last season.
All table grape shipments are coming from the San Joaquin Valley, which typically operates between June and January. On Nov. 8 alone, the state shipped a little over 705,000 boxes of table grapes.
With harvest ongoing, the industry expects to harvest a crop of over 90 million boxes and to continue shipping through December.
According to USDA data, last season ended with 69.7 million boxes shipped from California, a season heavily impacted by Tropical Storm Hilary in August.
Over the last four years, California has shipped fewer boxes by this point in the season, with the highest volume during that period in 2022 at 70.6 million boxes.
Ample onion supplies with good quality are expected by growers and shippers for the holidays and beyond.
The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee of Parma, ID reports harvest of yellow, red and white onions has been completed for the 2024-25 season.
The means a consistent supply and quality in all sizes and colors are available for shipping.
Peri & Sons Farms Inc. of Yerington, NV completed its onion harvest in late October and is pleased with onion quality and sizing.
The grower/packer/shipper offers red, yellow and white onions along with a sweet, proprietary variety called Sweetie and a tearless sweet onion with low acid content called Sweetie Tearless. The company also ships cipollinis, shallots and some garlic.
Wada Farms Marketing Group, Idaho Falls, Idaho, finished harvesting its red, yellow and white onions in mid-October, and expects a good crop without any supply issues.
Wada Farms ships its storage crop from July to April or May then sources from other areas, such as California, Arizona and New Mexico during the summer.
Eagle Eye Produce of Idaho Falls, ID reports plenty of good-quality onions and yields this year.
About 80% of the company’s onions are sold in 25- and 50-pound bags and boxes. The rest are loaded in consumer packs.
Wilcox Fresh of Rexburg, ID focuses on Spanish sweet onions grown mainly in western Idaho and eastern Oregon.
The company’s main program runs from August to April with summer onions sourced from Southern California and New Mexico.
The initial apples remaining in storage report of the 2024-25 season shows fresh apple holdings are down 7% over November 2023, but still 8% more than the five-year average for the month of November, according to The U.S. Apple Association of Falls Church, VA.
USApple reports this includes over 95% of the country’s national storage capacity.
The report shows processing apples in storage are also down — about 9% — over last year, but equal to the November five-year average.
Washington leads the states with 31,187,651 bushels of apples in regular storage and 110,287,587 in controlled atmosphere storage. New York came in second with 4,969,991 bushels in regular storage and 8,764,168 bushels in controlled atmosphere. Michigan was third with 2,615,000 bushels of apples in regular storage and 8,637,000 bushels in controlled atmosphere storage. Pennsylvania was fourth with 1,711,783 bushels of apples in regular storage and 2,967,826 bushels in controlled atmosphere, and Virginia rounded out the top five with 683,091 bushels in regular storage and 1,040,853 bushels in controlled atmosphere.
While Washington’s holdings as of November are slightly lower than holdings in November 2023, it’s still slightly above the five-year average. The same is true for Michigan and New York. Pennsylvania’s holdings are down from 2023 and below the five-year average. Virginia’s holdings are down this year, but similar to the five-year average for the state.
As of this report, Cosmic Crisp led the varieties in regular storage with 5,182,685 bushels, Pink Lady/cripps pink was second spot with 4,698,124 bushels in regular storage, fuji was third with 4,176,483 bushels, Honeycrisp was fourth at 4,069,109 bushels in regular storage and granny smith was fifth with 3,981,225 bushels in regular storage.
For apples in controlled atmosphere storage, gala outpaces all other varieties with 26,107,068 bushels, followed by red delicious at 20,056,203 bushels, Honeycrisp with 16,910,664 bushels, granny smith with 16,486,909 bushels and fuji with 12,337,186 bushels.
Researchers at the University of Lleida (UdL) have discovered that red-fleshed apples improve endothelial function, which regulates blood flow, reduces inflammation, and modulates the immune system in people with high cholesterol.
Laura Rubió, one of the project’s lead researchers, highlighted that the benefits of red-fleshed apples are “superior” due to the significant improvement in inflammation markers. This variety is not grown in Spain, and now researchers are looking for ways to process and commercialize it so consumers can benefit.
The ‘AppleCOR’ project emerged from a collaboration with IRTA, which was testing a red-fleshed apple grown and sold in northern European countries but not in Spain.
This is because red-fleshed apples contain “anthocyanic phenolic” compounds, which are also found in fruits like blueberries and black grapes. These compounds had never been studied at such levels in apples before, and since they are known to have health benefits, the researchers decided to investigate if the same effects occurred in this apple variety.
By the middle of October Peruvian asparagus exports totaled 71,630 tons for a FOB value of $199 million, reflecting a drop of 8 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Agraria, citing a recent report by Fresh Cargo Peru.
The report says that in this period the primary destination for Peruvian asparagus was North America, which concentrated 74 percent of Peruvian shipments for a value of $133,476,273. In second place was Europe (24 percent) with $7,926,620; followed by Latin America (2 percent) with $5,028,451; Asia (0.5 percent) with $1,956,400; and the Middle East (0.1 percent) with $413,734.
60 percent of these shipments were made by boat, while 40 percent were shipped by air.
The report reveals among the largest exporting companies in the industry are Agroexportaciones Nathanael with a 10 percent share of total Peruvian shipments, which amounts to 6,827 tons. It is followed by Danper Trujillo with a 6 percent share and 4,398 tons; TA Export with 6 percent and 4,173 tons; Kimsa Fresh with 5 percent and 3,843 tons; Florida Blanca with 5 percent and 3,258 tons.
The USDA is reporting New Zealand apple exports in 2024-25 are projected at 380,000 metric tons, up 40,000 metric tons from 2023-24 exports.
“If realized, this would be the highest exports since 2019-20, and the third-most volume of apple exports in a year,” the report said.
The harvest season in New Zealand starts in January and finishes in June, with peak harvest for apples from March to May.
The USDA said New Zealand’s export priorities will likely focus on Vietnam, China, the U.S. and the United Kingdom in the foreseeable future. India also is projected to be a growing market for New Zealand exporters, the report said.
U.S. imports of New Zealand apples in 2024 were valued at $44.9 million, down from $69.2 million in 2023, according to USDA trade numbers.
Royal gala was the most significant variety for export from New Zealand in 2023-24, however, the USDA said increased export demand for varieties such as Envy, Dazzle, and the new variety Rockit has resulted in increased unit pricing per metric ton.
“Commentary from growers is that with the current replacement of damaged orchards and increasing interest rates, farm gate returns will be a substantial factor in the selection of future varieties,” the report said. “As a result, the industry already sees diminishing hectares for varieties such as Braeburn, which in 2011-12 accounted for 22% of national hectares and in 2023-24 was just 6%.”
Growers in New Zealand are replacing apple trees lost to Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.
“The cyclone caused considerable damage due to large-scale floodwaters, silt, debris, wind, and surface flooding in the primary apple-growing regions of Hawkes Bay and Gisborne,” the USDA said.
New Zealand’s apple planted area in the 2024-25 market year is forecast to increase substantially to 27,181 acres, up from 22,700 acres last season. Apple area expected to be harvested is estimated at 25,833 acres, up from about 22,000 acres in 2022-23.
“Although the recovery from the Cyclone damage is underway, on-farm inflation and debt servicing continue to put cost pressure on the growth of the industry,” the report said.
As the nation adjusts to the results of the 2024 election, agricultural leaders and third-party logistics (3PL) providers are positioned to play pivotal roles in addressing challenges and opportunities within the produce supply chain. Decisions made in the coming months will directly influence how agricultural products move efficiently from farms to consumers.
With President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team preparing key appointments in the Department of Agriculture (USDA), early decisions on leadership will set the tone for the administration’s approach to pressing agricultural issues. For 3PL providers, leadership developments highlight the importance of collaboration with ag leaders to ensure reliable and efficient transportation solutions based on evolving policies. These appointments will likely shape trade policies, domestic farm support, and regulatory practices, potentially mirroring the significant shifts seen during Trump’s previous term, focusing on strengthening U.S. agricultural competitiveness globally.
The trucking industry’s strong endorsement of Sean Duffy’s nomination as Secretary of Transportation highlights the potential for alignment between industry needs and DOT goals. American Trucking Association’s President Chris Spear commended Duffy’s understanding of transportation issues, emphasizing his support for “pro-trucking policies to strengthen the supply chain.” This alignment could accelerate critical projects, such as reducing bottlenecks in transportation corridors, modernizing storage facilities, and improving logistics networks in rural areas. Ag leaders, working closely with the DOT, can advocate for targeted investments that address the unique demands of agriculture. One area of focus, infrastructure improvements, presents a significant opportunity to enhance the agricultural supply chain. Combined with Trump’s focus on efficiency and safety, these developments could revolutionize the movement of agricultural products, bolstering the role of 3PLs in seamlessly connecting producers to markets both domestically and internationally.