The 2022-23 Peruvian table grape season is continuing to show signs of varietal change, with Sweet Globe taking the throne as the most exported cultivar this season, according to Agraria.
With over 16 million 18-pound boxes shipped to date and an almost 40% increase year-on-year from 11.5 million boxes exported in 2021-22, Sweet Globe surpassed the market staple Red Globe by over 2 million boxes.
The Autumn Crisp and Allison cultivars follow, with 6.8 and 5.9 million boxes exported respectively for the 2022-23 season.
Agro exporter company Safco Peru reports this is the first time in 20 years the Red Globe loses its crown, with market trends now pointing to a rise in white seedless varieties.
Additionally, weather, logistic and political issues in late 2022 and early 2023 caused some of the late deals to be lost.
Safco Peru estimates 700,000 boxes were lost due to the blockades in Ica during January and another significant amount -more difficult to estimate- of what was going to be the late harvest in Piura, due to the heavy rains that had been falling in the region for more than a month.
The company expects traditional varieties to continue a downward trend, while green licensed varieties are projected to continue to rise boosted by a major growth in the Autumn Crisp cultivar.
The Peruvian Association of Table Grape Producers and Exporters’ (Provid) second crop estimate for the 2022-2023 season projects exports at 73 million boxes, a 13% increase year-on-year.
Las Cruces, NM — National Onion, Inc. begins its 41st season marketing and selling onions for Agrocosa – a Gomez Farm company. This long-standing partnership brings high quality short-day and intermediate white, yellow, and red onions to the U.S. and Canadian summer markets.
“Our longevity is based on a combination of product quality and customers service. Agrocosa has the unique ability to grow and yield a consistent product year-after-year, which has allowed us to further the brand since 1982.” said Micah Smith, Vice President, National Onion Inc.
National Onion looks forward to selling its brands Rio Gold (yellow onions), Rio Pearl (white onions), Rio Ruby (red onions), and Rio Sweet (carton sweet yellow onions) nationwide and to the Canadian market. The company will sell Mexican onions until mid-July and then transition to other sales agreements with growers in the U.S.
Depending on the variety, this avocados can be round or pear-shaped, green or black, and small or large. Avocado skin is usually rough. The flesh, when ripe, is soft and buttery.
It is a climacteric fruit, which means it continues to ripen after harvest. Hass avocado is the most common and is available year-round.
If you are going to use it immediately after purchasing it, choose a ripe one with black skin that yields to a little bit of pressure when squeezed.
Avocados with green skin that are very firm are not ripe and should rest for a few days before eating.
If the skin is dark and wrinkled, or has dents or soft flesh spots, it may be overripe and unpalatable to eat.
Keep them fresh
Avocados are sometimes sold with hard, unripe flesh, which will often ripen in a few days. You can leave the fruit at room temperature or expose it to direct sunlight to accelerate ripening.
You can also place the sealed avocado in a paper bag with a banana; the ethylene gasses from the banana will accelerate ripening.
The flesh of avocados is notorious for turning brown quickly once exposed to air, which is called enzymatic browning.
Although unappetizing to the eye, the brown flesh is perfectly edible. Still, there are tips for slowing or reducing browning after cutting:
Coat the flesh with lemon or lime juice.
Wrap tightly with cling film or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator to reduce exposure to oxygen.
Store an avocado half with some sliced onion in a sealed airtight container, as the sulfur compounds in the onion help preserve the avocado.
Unripe avocados should not be placed in the refrigerator, but once they are ripe it is okay to do so.
Did you know?
According to Harvard University, half of this fruit has more potassium than a medium banana, 487 mg of potassium versus 422 mg of potassium, respectively.
Ripe avocado puree is sometimes used as a face mask because of its high content of moisturizing oils and vitamin E.
Dinuba, CA — California cantaloupe farmers are overjoyed with the amount of rainfall received this winter and for the welcome relief to severe drought conditions that have impacted growing areas for the past several years.
Although rainfall was heavy throughout the winter, cantaloupe-producing districts have not experienced flooding that has impacted other parts of the state. Additionally, California cantaloupe fields had not yet been planted at the time of the state’s heaviest rainfall.
California cantaloupe growers are reporting that wet fields and rainy weather definitely delayed planting, particularly in the southern growing districts of the Imperial Valley. This means that promotable volume of cantaloupe from California will likely not be available until Memorial Day Weekend, with peak supplies expected throughout the month of June.
Cantaloupe plantings in the major San Joaquin Valley growing regions were also slightly impacted by wet fields. But this is not expected to significantly delay harvest of cantaloupe on the westside of California, which should peak in mid-July as it normally does.
“In short, we know the beginning of California cantaloupe season will be approximately two weeks later than normal this year,” said Garrett Patricio of Westside Produce in Firebaugh. “We’ll provide updates on the San Joaquin Valley harvest timing as harvest gets closer but, for now, we are not expecting major delays.
As the Northern Hemisphere citrus season comes to a close and the Southern Hemisphere season begins, Salix Fruits, a leading company in the import and export of fresh fruits, said shipments of citrus are arriving steadily.
According to Alejandro Moralejo, CEO of Salix Fruits, South Africa, the major citrus supplier in the Southern Hemisphere has grown in all citrus varieties.
“The first week of April, RSA (South Africa) started with lemon shipments to the Middle East, their most important market, and to Canada,” he said.
Currently, the U.S. is also sourcing the last shipments of lemons from Mexico while Argentina is starting its shipments to Canada, along with Russia and other parts of Europe. Moralejo said that despite the summer drought in Argentina, lemon volumes are guaranteed for all markets.
On the other hand, the mandarin market is the only one still covered by the Northern Hemisphere. The U.S. is sourcing the last shipments of mandarins from Morocco, while Chile and Peru are waiting for their crops to be ready.
“Peru will start the early mandarin season in the next few weeks. It will be the late mandarin supplier to Northern Hemisphere markets. The earliest fruit is waiting for market windows in the Northern Hemisphere,” said Moralejo.
In all, Moralejo noted that it is a season with an earlier window for the Southern Hemisphere citrus because of the lack of product from Spain, Morocco and Turkey, though later production will continue from Mexico, Spain, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco.
Moralejo said there is strong demand in the U.S. and Canada for imported citrus, and Salix will continue offering citrus from its sourcing regions including Argentina, South Africa, Chile, Peru and Uruguay.
“We are very pleased with the supply from our Egypt office, which will give us a large volume for the next season in the Northern Hemisphere,” he said. “This is in addition to the excellent quality product from Spain and Morocco, where Salix has been present for the last two years.”
There has been a long foretold narrative that a driver shortage, along with other concerning factors, are leading toward a long term deficit in the truck-to-load market balance. Today it may seem that there is no longer a looming crisis. Due to supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, conflict in Ukraine, fuel rates, inflation, and fluctuations in consumer spending habits, volumes have seen significant decreases overall. For customers and brokers alike, this has led to temporary alleviation, but when the market inevitably stabilizes, we may see that these trends are still problematic. The core issues remain with the driver market: average age, more available/flexible/safer employment options, unpredictable market, legal risks, etc. Experts are predicting that the driver shortage will grow to 160,000 drivers by 2030. There has also been a decline in the ability to keep up with semi-truck production and an increase in carriers leaving the market. While there was a slight ease in 2022, due to raises in driver pay that are not sustainable in this market, we still face an uphill battle and a vacancy of 78,000+ drivers.
It may be safe to assume that supply chain and consumer patterns will begin to stabilize before the adoption of autonomous trucks are significant. Carriers have had to work with lower rates and higher costs for years, causing an increase in bankruptcies and closures. As volumes increase and the supply and demand paradigm flips, expect to see the remaining carrier market use all of their leverage to offset their losses. While the development of self-driving trucks is progressing, it’s not going to save the day in the near term. Therefore, we must rely on our own preparation to weather the coming storm.
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Michael Tanaka graduated from Arizona State University in 2014 with a BA in Business Communications. Upon graduation, he began working in the transportation industry. He started off as a Business Analyst in the private emergency services sector but eventually pivoted to the OTR freight industry. He has spent time on both the asset and brokerage sides of the industry gathering experience through his roles in Operations, Carrier Sales, and Account Management. He began working for the Allen Lund Company in September of 2021 as a Transportation Broker and is now an Account Development Manager.
To pick a great mango, make sure you learn about the different varieties you can find when shopping.
When choosing a mango, don’t focus on color – it’s not the best indicator of ripeness. Mango varieties come in a multitude of colors, shapes and sizes.
First, squeeze it gently. A ripe mango will yield slightly. A medium-ripe one will be somewhat firm and an unripe fruit will be very firm to the touch.
Flavor varies from tart for green mangoes to naturally sweet for ripe mangoes.
Use your experience with produce such as peaches and avocados to help you easily choose, as mangoes also become milder as they ripen.
Ripe mangos will sometimes have a fruity aroma on their stems. When considering how to choose a fresh specimen, this is one of the nicest ways!
The red color that appears on some varieties is not an easy way to spot a perfect mango, as it is not an indicator of ripeness. Always judge by feel.
U.S. importers report heavier imported mango supplies will be coming this summer, while 2023 so far has had lighter than normal volume.
Mexico is the primary source of mangoes during spring and summer months, providing over 90% of the total supply, according to the National Mango Board, Orlando, FL.
The supply of mangoes to the U.S. from Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador for 2020-22 has been on average 135 million boxes.
Mission Produce Inc. of Oxnard, CA notes rain early this year led to a slightly delayed start to the Mexico mango harvest. Mission Produce receives several varieties of mangoes from multiple growing regions.
The company reports high-quality tommy atkins and honey mangoes from Mexico have been arriving at its North American forward distribution centers, although in limited volumes. Mission also is sourcing tommy atkins mangoes from Nicaragua and Guatemala.
As summer approaches, the harvest of fibreless varieties, such as kent and keitt mangoes, generally begins in northern and central Mexico. Mission will start sourcing kent mangoes from Mexico this month. It also plans to source organic tommy atkins, kent and keitt mango varieties from Mexico.
Central American Produce, Pompano Beach, FL., will import mangoes from Central America until around mid-May and will continue to source from several areas of Mexico throughout the summer. The company offers tommy atkins, haden and honey mangoes.
Central American Produce also imports a few organic mangoes. Vision Import Group of River Edge, NJ, which early this year formed a joint venture called Vision Global Group with William H. Kopke Jr. Inc. of Great Neck, NY, is importing mangoes from Mexico and Guatemala this spring.
The company handles mostly the tommy atkins variety, some honey mangoes and a few hadens. A few kents should be available from Guatemala.
Although not sweet, avocados are botanically classified as a fruit with a large berry and a single central pit, from the Persea americana tree.
Their nutritional profile makes them a staple in several healthy meal plans, such as the Mediterranean and DASH diets.
Avocados are a good source of fiber and contain more fat (the good kind) than carbohydrates, making them popular in low-carb diets.
Their heart-healthy fats do not raise blood cholesterol, which can be advised in traditional cholesterol-lowering regimens.
It is one of the most fat-rich plant foods, making it a popular inclusion in vegan and vegetarian diets.
The slightly earthy but neutral flavor of avocados works well in sauces, salad dressings, sandwiches, baked goods, salads and grain dishes for added richness.
Multiple vitamins
Source of fat (mainly monounsaturated 67%)
Fiber (mainly insoluble, but also soluble)
B group vitamins
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Folate
Potassium
Magnesium
Carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin)
A medium whole avocado contains about 240 calories, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of protein, 22 grams of fat (15 grams monounsaturated, 4 grams polyunsaturated and 3 grams saturated), 10 grams of fiber and 11 milligrams of sodium.
A difficult California growing season characterized by rain, snow and unusually low winter temperatures is finally giving away to more promising weather and more shipments of table grapes, strawberries and cherries.
Grape Shipments
The California table grape season starts in the Coachella Valley with harvesting just getting underway.
Harvesting in the San Joaquin Valley (Arvin) should begin in late June or early July. Early expectations are the 2023 crop will be similar or slightly larger than last season’s 95.1 million 19-pound boxes.
Autumn King, Scarlet Royal, Sheegene-20, flame and Sheegene-21 varieties accounted for 47% of the total volume in 2022. Exports accounted for 30% of the volume last season. The top three markets included Canada, Mexico and Taiwan.
Strawberry Shipments
Strawberry volume began recovering from adverse weather in early April, with shipments much lower than last year.
As of the week ending April 1, California shipments of conventional and organic strawberries totaled 8.5 million trays, down from 20 million at the same time in 2022.
Fall-planted acreage for 2023 winter, spring and summer production was 31,852 acres, up from 30,499 in 2022. About 45% of the acreage is in the Watsonville growing region, 34% is in the Santa Maria area and 20% is in Oxnard. Although some acreage was lost due to a levee break along the Pajaro River in March, about 95% of the strawberry crop was undamaged from the storm.
Cherry Shipments
California’s cherry crop will come on seven to 10 days later than usual, with picking beginning in late April or early May. California is the first state to ship cherries each year.
King Fresh Produce LLC of Dinuba, CA expects there will be good volume by May 20, with loadings continuing until about the third week of June.
Growers project this year’s crop will be slightly larger than last year’s 5.2 million 18-pound boxes, which is down from about 10 million boxes the year prior, mostly because of an unusually warm winter.
