The National Football League’s Buffalo Bills and SnapDragon apple have formed a partnership to raise awareness of the fruit in Eastern markets, according to Crunch Time Apple Growers, Lockport, NY.
“Our partnership with the Buffalo Bills has really been the highlight of our marketing efforts this season,” Jessica Wells of the grower/shipper said. “SnapDragon being the official apple of the team has presented lots of opportunities for promotion and partnership, bringing great awareness to the brand.”
Crunch Time Apple Growers’ 150 growers produce SnapDragon and RubyFrost apples in New York state. The growers’ cooperative is supported by 11 sales organizations in New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan, and fruit is marketed across the country, Wells said.
“Our fruit is primarily conventional, though there is a very small amount of acreage being grown organically,” she said.
This marketing season so far has seen strong movement of SnapDragon apples, Wells said.
Despite inflation and a weakening economy, Wells said the variety has experienced good demand this season.
“We have been pleasantly surprised by the strong movement of SnapDragon since the beginning of the season,” she said. “While production was up significantly over last season, sales growth has outpaced that growth in production. SnapDragon is considered a premium, high-flavor variety and it is selling better than ever!”
RubyFrost sales were just beginning for the season by late December, so Wells said it is too early to say how sales will compare.
“The quality of both SnapDragon and RubyFrost has been great this year and movement is strong so far, which has led to a general optimism,” Wells said.
Crunch Time Apple Growers represents 60% of New York state’s apple production.
Hapco Farms of Westhampton Beach, NY, has tripled its broccoli acreage on the East Coast this year and now ships domestically grown broccoli 12 months a year.
With new acreage in Florida and North Carolina, Hapco Farms reports it is now the largest grower of broccoli on the East Coast.
The company’s goal is to grow product as close to its customers as possible. It is moving acreage from Mexico to the United States, specifically the East Coast, which allows delivery of product fresher, faster and cheaper.
Since Hapco Farms already had acreage in these areas, expanding growing operations there was the natural next step, and it now has the ability to supply U.S.-grown product on a year-round basis.
Hapco’s broccoli season in Florida runs from December through March. It transitions to North Carolina for a small window in mid-May to early June before moving to Maine for the summer. North Carolina production resumes in late October and runs until Florida picks up again in December.
Having expanded acreage also will provide opportunities to grow and ship other commodities, such as cauliflower and sweet corn.
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.
