South American grape shippers will likely be looking to increase export volumes to the U.S. because of stagnant or less demand from European and Asian markets this winter, according to an article in FreshFruitPortal.com in a recent interview with industry veteran John Pandol, director of special projects for Pandol Bros., Inc., Delano, CA.
Pandol called the situation “scary” and “…could get out of hand,” with extra volume showing up because the European market can only take so much volume.
By contrast the US has regional independent supermarket chains that can respond to increased volumes and do this to compete against the big program buyers.
The first Peruvian grapes began to arriving in the U.S. in early November in anticipation of transition from California grapes, which occur in December or January, depending on the buyer.
At the same time Far East and Latin American importers are being conservative for both economic and supply chain reasons.
Those in the winter grape business is still feeling “burned” after Peruvian fruit stacked atop the peak Chilean volume early in 2022. The inclination now is to move Peruvian grape volume early to avoid another collision with Chile.
California’s grape season wrapped up several weeks ago.
A larger than normal amount of grapes were not harvested, for a variety of reasons. It is estimates 3-4% of the potential fresh crop was diverted to wineries or other byproducts.
California’s table grape estimate for 2022 was 97 million boxes. The final fresh volume will measure in the low 90s, by Pandol’s estimation.
Another important factor that may haunt growers is some of their new tasty proprietary varieties may be negatively impacting overall sales. In red and white seedless, varietal preferences lead many perfectly good reds or whites being forced into artificially short market windows or becoming obsolete all together. In blacks and specialty grapes the expectations for demand never materialized and now there is oversupply that simply goes unharvested.
In essence, he said the table grape industry faces issues relating to varietal preference, varietal obsolescence and an oversupply of niche grapes.
While excessive rains and flooding has temporarily disrupted normal shipments of winter vegetables out of California, there could be longer term affects if current plantings for the spring crops keep being interrupted.
Boskovich Farms in Oxnard, CA, reports heavy rains and cooler weather has adversely affected celery loadings. Located in Ventura County, more rains are coming this week and will dampen volume on leafy greens, Romaine, parsley and some of the other vegetables.
Boskovich has ben sourcing leeks, green onions and radishes from Mexico, but supplies there are short as well.
Gold Coast Packing Inc. of Santa Maria, CA also has been dealing with heavy rains and notes their cauliflower shipments have been affected the most.
/The grower/shipper sources most of its value added vegetables from the desert this time of the year. The product is trucked to Santa Maria, and packed before nationwide distribution. However, desert supplies have been lighter than usual.
Gold Coast reports a bigger impact from January rains will probably result in supply gaps in supply in March, April and May when the transition from the desert production areas to coastal California growing districts take place.
Church Bros. Farms in Salinas, CA, agrees the biggest potential impact from California’s current unrelenting rains is lack of shipments in the spring. Rains will prevent most growers from planting for the next week or two. Those fields currently being planted won’t be ready for harvest for about three months, which gives growers a chance to “catch up” if the weather cooperates. The company is currently planting for the start of the Salinas vegetable season.
Mexico’s leading papaya and melon grower, shipper and processor, Super Star International LLC, started shipping honeydews in early January and will continue into April.
The company’s honeydew melons has continued to increase in volume for more than 60 years, during the cooler weather months.
For three generations, Super Starr has farmed in the U.S (based in Pharr TX ) and Colima, Mexico to produce superior year-round papayas and winter honeydew melons by growing, packing, and shipping. With this type of total control, Super Starr ensures the highest quality of fruit is placed on store shelves.
A study by the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Colombia), has found that agricultural exports to the U.S. could grow up to 250% over the next 10 years.
This comes as more than 20 products of the agroindustrial sector have obtained sanitary approval, thanks to the free trade agreement shared by both countries.
Colombia’s agricultural exports have become the most important item within non-mining-energy exports in trade with the U.S. The sector experienceda 59% increase in sales, reaching $3,433.6 million between January and September 2022.
The free trade agreement entered into force 10 years ago, boosting agricultural sales to the North American country by nearly four-fold, according to AmCham Colombia.
Fruits, food preparations, sugars and confectionery products, fish, vegetable preparations, vegetable fats and oils and bakery products are among the products with the highest growth in exports.
Colombia currently exports 244 agricultural products to the U.S., including those with phytosanitary approval. However, there is a potential of 433 more products for a total of 677 products that Colombia can sell to that country.
This is “an important fact within the country’s purpose of strengthening non-mining energy exports and generating resources that will help fight poverty and generate formal employment,” according to María Claudia Lacouture, president of AmCham Colombia
“The agricultural and agro-industrial sector is a major driver of Colombian exports,” Lacouture said.
Seeded Produce LLC, based in Rio Rico, AZ. Seeded distributes a full line of Mexican vegetables and melons and predicts fewer shipments this season.
The company believes lower yields are a result of cold weather, combined with a cut in acreage due to inflation increasing the cost of operations. While production figures are not available the company estimates it is off 20 percent.
There are fewer smaller growers venturing into agriculture because of all the increases due to the costs of inflation. It’s taken a toll on Mexico. At the same time the larger growers are producing less and being more careful in how they diversify.
The report estimates Canadian apple production will grow 4% for marketing year 2022-23, as production has rebounded in Ontario and Quebec following adverse growing conditions in marketing year 2021-22.
British Columbia apple growers saw lingering impacts from the 2021 heat dome, and the 2022 crop will be reduced compared with 2021, the report said. Growers in British Columbia also experienced cool, wet conditions in spring, poor pollination due to bee shortages, and heat impacts through summer 2022 into autumn, with estimates suggesting production will be down 20% to 25% this season compared with marketing year 2021-22.
Hurricane Fiona negatively impacted apple harvest in the Maritimes with losses most substantial on Prince Edward Island, the report said.
Following two years of increases in Canada’s apple cultivated acreage, the USDA is forecasting a slight decline in marketing year 2022-23.
“Re-planting to higher density orchards will lead to production gains but minimize acreage expansion,” the report said. Higher land, labor, and input costs combined with labor shortages have negatively impacted expansion opportunities, according to the report.
Canadian pear production for marketing year 2022-23 is forecast to grow 15% because of a bumper crop in Ontario, especially of the bartlett variety, according to the report. The pear crop also improved in British Columbia compared with 2021, the report said.
Table grape production in Canada will decline 5%, but volumes will remain above the five-year average.
U.S. imports of Mexican vegetables and fruit through Arizona’s Nogales district ports totaled more than $3.86 billion in 2021, up 1% from $3.82 billion in 2020 and up 7% from $3.6 billion in 2019.
According to U.S. trade statistics from the Census Bureau, the value of Mexican produce moving through Nogales in 2021, by commodity, compared with 2020 and 2019:
Imports of Mexican tomatoes totaled $671.3 million in 2021, down 11% from $756.3 million but up 17% from $573.2 million in 2019.
Imports of Mexican onions totaled $29.2 million, up 29% from $22.6 million in 2020 but down 43% from $51.2 million in 2019.
Imports of Mexican cucumbers totaled $330.4 million, down 1% from $333.9 million in 2020 but up 2% from $323.1 million in 2019.
Imports of Mexican head lettuce totaled $16.5 million in 2021, up 14% from $14.5 million in 2020 and up 63% from $10.1 million in 2019.
Imports of Mexican lettuce (except head lettuce) were $116.8 million, up 27% from $92.3 million in 2020 and up 156% from $45.7 million in 2019.
Imports of Mexican Brussels sprouts were $18.9 million, up 27% from $14.9 million in 2020 and up 69% in $11.2 million
Imports of Mexican asparagus were $81.1 million, down 10% from $89.7 million and down 23% from $105.8 million in 2019.
U.S. imports of Mexican strawberries were $21.9 million in 2021, up 1% from $21.8 million in 2020 but down 22% from $27.9 million in 2019.
U.S. imports of Mexican watermelons totaled $259.9 million, up 6% from $245.4 million in 2020 but down 4% from $271.2 million in 2019.
U.S. imports of Mexican grapes totaled $539.1 million in 2021, up 8% from $500.5 million in 2020 but down 8% from $587.4 million in 2019.
Imports of Mexican blueberries totaled $42.6 million in 2021, down 4% from $44.4 million in 2020 and down 16% from $50.9 million in 2019.
U.S. imports of Mexican citrus totaled $50.7 million in 2021, up 10% from $46.3 million in 2020 and up 29% from $39.3 million in 2019.
U.S. imports of Mexican guavas, mangoes and mangosteens totaled $145.5 million in 2021, down 2% from $147.9 million in 2020 and down 10% from $161.2 million in 2019.
U.S. imports of Mexican avocados totaled $47.9 million in 2021, up 64% from $29.3 million in 2020 and up 30% from $36.8 million in 2019.
U.S. imports of eggplant totaled $45.7 million in 2021, down 12% from $52.1 million in 2020 and down 1% from $46 million in 2019.
The first container of fresh Colombian mangoes recently arrived in the United States at the port of Savannah, Ga., according to a release from ProColombia. From there, 20 tons of the fruit was transferred to Gulf Port Mississippi to be distributed across the southeastern coast of the U.S.
This comes after several years of mango negotiations between the government of Colombia and the U.S. ProColombia says expectations for the mango industry are high, given that the U.S. imported $552 million in 2021 and has registered a growth of fresh mango purchases of 29% from 2018 to 2021.
The mangoes were grown at the Varahonda Farm in the municipality of Palmira and were packed at Frutales Las Lajas in Zarzal, in the department of Valle del Cauca. They are being exported by Trópico Produce SAS and imported by the American company Seasons Farm Fresh Inc.
With the addition of the U.S., Colombia now exports its mangoes to more than eight countries, including Canada, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, among others.
According to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cecilia López Montaño, “there are approximately 35,000 hectares (86,486 acres) of mangoes in Colombia distributed in 22 departments, of which Cundinamarca is the largest producer, followed by Antioquia and Norte de Santander.” Colombia has production capacity for this product every month of the year.
Nick Bernal, CEO of the American Importer Seasons Farm Fresh Inc. of Miami, FL, thinks Colombian mangoes will start playing a competitive role within the market in the upcoming months.
“We know that mango consumption in the U.S. is very high, and Colombia — besides having many logistical advantages, such as several ports across the territory in the Pacific, the Caribbean and the Atlantic, as well as a strategic geographical location close to the U.S. — has one additional asset: It can produce mangoes all year long,” he said. “We began by importing in this shipment keitt mangos, but soon, we also expect to bring baby mangos,” Bernal added.
The Port of Wilmington, DE, received its first shipment of fresh Moroccan citrus in early December for the 2022-23 winter fruit season.
The first arrival was on the M/V Crown Garnet, a specialized refrigerated vessel. The Crown Garnet immediately discharged her cargo, which exceeded 5,000 pallets of fresh clementines, according to a press release.
During this winter fruit season, which will run through May 2023, the port anticipates receiving approximately 12 shiploads of fruit from Morocco’s Atlantic port of Agadir.
Joe Cruise, chief executive officer of GT USA Wilmington, was on hand to welcome the vessel and “We are privileged to be able to continue as the port of choice to serve our Moroccan partners for the timely distribution of fresh and delicious fruit to U.S. and Canadian consumers. We are looking forward to assisting our partners with another successful season.”
In the release, GT USA Wilmington describes itself as the “U.S.’ foremost marine terminal for perishable cargo.” Wilmington ranks as North America’s top banana port.
Wilmington is a major port of entry and distribution center for the seasonal importation of fresh Moroccan citrus, along with other fruits and juices from around the globe.
Cargo is stored in the Port’s 850,000 square foot on-dock refrigerated warehouse complex, one of North America’s largest facilities, before distribution to markets throughout North America.
Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables and other foods are believed to help to slow memory decline. The findings are reported in a recent study of the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
People who eat or drink more foods with antioxidant flavonols, which are found in several fruits and vegetables as well as tea and wine, may have a slower rate of memory decline.
Flavonols are a type of flavonoid, a group of phytochemicals found in plant pigments known for its beneficial effects on health, according to a news release.
“It’s exciting that our study shows making specific diet choices may lead to a slower rate of cognitive decline,” study author Thomas Holland of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago said in the release. “Something as simple as eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more tea is an easy way for people to take an active role in maintaining their brain health.”
The study involved 961 people with an average age of 81 without dementia, according to the release. Participants in the study were followed for an average of seven years. Besides filling out questionnaires about their food intake, the participants in the study also completed annual cognitive and memory tests including recalling lists of words, remembering numbers and putting them in the correct order.
The study also asked about levels of education, how much time participants spent doing physical activities and how much time they spent doing mentally engaging activities such as reading and playing games, according to the release.
The people were divided into five equal groups based on the amount of flavonols they had in their diet. While the average amount of flavonol intake in U.S. adults is about 16-20 milligrams (mg) per day, the study population had an average dietary intake of total flavonols of approximately 10 mg per day. The lowest group had an intake of about 5 mg per day, and the highest group consumed an average of 15 mg per day, which is equivalent to about 1 cup of dark leafy greens.
To determine rates of cognitive decline, researchers used an overall global cognition score summarizing 19 cognitive tests. The average score ranged from 0.5 for people with no thinking problems to 0.2 for people with mild cognitive impairment to -0.5 for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
After adjusting for other factors that could affect the rate of memory decline, such as age, sex and smoking, researchers found that the cognitive score of people who had the highest intake of flavonols declined at a rate of 0.4 units per decade more slowly than people whose had the lowest intake. This is probably due to the inherent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of flavonols, Holland said in the release.
The study also broke the flavonol class down into the four constituents: kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin and isorhamnetin. The top food contributors for each category were: kale, beans, tea, spinach and broccoli for kaempferol; tomatoes, kale, apples and tea for quercetin; tea, wine, kale, oranges and tomatoes for myricetin; and pears, olive oil, wine and tomato sauce for isorhamnetin.
People who had the highest intake of kaempferol had a 0.4 units per decade slower rate of cognitive decline compared to those in the lowest group, the study found. Those with the highest intake of quercetin had a 0.2 units per decade slower rate of cognitive decline compared to those in the lowest group. And people with the highest intake of myricetin had a 0.3 units per decade slower rate of cognitive decline compared to those in the lowest group. Dietary isorhamnetin was not tied to global cognition.
The study shows an association between higher amounts of dietary flavonols and slower cognitive decline but does not prove that flavonols directly cause a slower rate of cognitive decline.
Other limitations of the study are that the food frequency questionnaire, although valid, was self-reported, so people may not accurately remember what they eat.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute on Aging, and USDA Agricultural Research Service.
