Peru has exported 110,000 tons of fresh blueberries this season, representing a 38 percent increase compared to the same period klasst season, according to Agraria.
Shipments of fresh blueberries from Peru were as follows: July 10,786,191 kilos, August 38,797,086 kilos, September (as of the 25th) 57,644,854 kilos. While in the same months the previous campaign it recorded: July 4,806,005 kilos, August 25,636,702 kilos, September 58,108,202 kilos.
Inform@ccion reports the current season (July and August) has had excellent volume, while in the peak months of September and October growth will slow some, with more late blueberries in November, December and January.
It is believed by many blueberries will likely to become Peru’s main agro-export product this season, surpassing grapes.
The 110,000 tons represent half of all that was exported in the previous year.
Continuing lousy growing conditions in California is limiting supplies of iceberg and romaine lettuce, as well as green leaf varieties. The problems are expected to continue through the end of the season in the Salinas Valley until the seasonal shift to growing areas in the desert areas of California and Arizona in mid-November.
Iceberg and romaine shipments continue to be extremely limited due to erratic weather patterns of extreme heat followed by rain, which have adversely affected quality. These issues range from bottom rot, to fringe burn, mildew pressure, seeder, and sun scald.
There also are varying densities and light weights prevalent industry wide.
Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) and Sclerotinia disease has forced growers to cut ahead of their scheduled harvests to minimize crop loss. This has led to higher f.o.b prices until transitions to Yuma, AZ and California’s Imperial desert are completed in mid-November.
The worst congestion is plaguing U.S. seaports “since the age of containerization”, according to Logistics Management.
The publication credits backlogs of imports coming into the country, a shortage of equipment, and inland blocks as the main causes for this situation.
“U.S. seaports face the unprecedented situation where they’re now in their 17th straight month of record container import volume,” says Chris Jones, executive VP of industry and service at Descartes Datamyne.
“Consequently, continuous and shifting congestion and delays, and unpredictable lead times for importers has resulted”, Jones shared.
Presently, the ports of Los Angeles (POLA) and Long Beach (POLB) handle approximately 40% of U.S. imports. On the other hand, the port of New York and New Jersey processed 4,651,094 TEUs in 2021, ranking in third.
Consistent problems
Schedule reliability remains a significant problem for carriers, the outlet states. During 2021, West Coast ports reported long delays, with the East and Gulf coast ports now experiencing the same.
Meanwhile, seaports remain flooded with containers as labor negotiations on the West Coast are ongoing. Discussions have significantly affected shippers who remain concerned about slowdowns and potential strikes, Logistics Management reports.
The Chilean Exporters Association has released its first estimate for table grapes for the up coming season.
The estimate shows 70.6 million 8.2 kg. boxes, a 5.7% reduction from last season. However, it is still early in the season and variables such as weather and logistics could impact total volume.
Shipments of new varieties are expected to exceed 36 million boxes, followed by traditional varieties with more than 22 million boxes, and Red Globe with a little more than 12 million boxes. The Chilean table grape industry is focusing on new varieties, which arrive in better condition.
The first estimate shows a significant volume of red grapes, exceeding 28 million boxes, which are highly desired by international markets such as the United States and Asia. Green varieties exceed 23 million boxes, followed by Red Globe with more than 12 million and black varieties with just over 6 million boxes.
The president of The Chilean Fruit Exporters Association, Iván Marambio, together with Ignacio Caballero, Coordinator of the Table Grape Committee and Director of Marketing of ASOEX, announced a strategic plan for a newly formed grape committee. This is an important step in enhancing the competitiveness of Chile’s grape industry in international markets.
In July, the ASOEX Board of Directors ratified the formation of a new Table Grape Committee, to generate strategies to face the various challenges that have been affecting this sector for some time. “Last season was one of the most complex for the Chilean fresh fruit industry, but especially for the grape sector. We formed the Chilean Table Grape Committee to generate a strategic plan to improve quality and strengthen our competitiveness in international markets. The industry is committed to working together as a sector. As the world’s premier supplier of table grapes, we will move forward with greater force than ever,” Caballero stated.
He indicated that the strategic plan includes three pillars:
Lead, coordinate, unite and communicate
Improve the condition of the fruit
Improve competitiveness
Caballero added that, to achieve these pillars, “the Committee has established 16 initial actions, among which the development of an estimation program stands out, in order to deliver accurate and ongoing updates on export volumes throughout the season. This is already being implemented, with the first estimate ready.”
He added that the Committee will release at least four estimates during the 2022-2023 season. A second will be delivered on October 21, a third at the end of November and a fourth at the end of December 2022.
Ivan Marambio, President of ASOEX, released the first 2022/23 export estimate of the Chilean grape industry from ASOEX Table Grape Committee. The estimate was built with information provided by 40 companies representing 68% of the total exported during the 2021-2022 season. All are members of the grape committee.
“Favorable late Spring weather and more groves reaching maturity have contributed to a heavy set of great-looking fruit as we approach the 2022 Satsuma season,” explained Kim Jones, owner of Florida Georgia Citrus and current president of Cold Hardy Citrus Association. “The trees are heavy with beautiful, uniform fruit. We anticipate a record Satsuma crop for 2022.”
Shipping starts in early November, with full production available from mid-November to mid-January.
The Sweet Valley Citrus region spans a tri-state zone throughout North Florida, South Alabama and South Georgia. These growing areas share unique soil and weather that make Sweet Valley Citrus so special. Grown on local family farms, tree-ripened, and shipped daily from farmer-owned packing facilities, Sweet Valley Citrus includes Satsumas marketed under grower brands such as Southern Sassies, Southern Juicys and Cherokee Jewel.
Satsuma production has increased in the Sweet Valley region from less than 1 million pounds produced by 15 growers in 2014 to 12 million pounds and more than 150+ growers in 2021. Production is anticipated to continue increasing over the upcoming years due to new plantings already in the ground that should push production to over 100 million pounds by 2027.
With convenient, Southeast locations along major interstate highways, Sweet Valley Citrus growers and packing houses have been less affected by supply chain issues, and suppliers from the Sweet Valley region offer the fastest shipping of fresh citrus to locations east of the Mississippi. Compared to West Coast and imported citrus, this reduced shipping time can extend shelf life from a few days to several weeks and ensures customers and consumers receive the best-tasting fruit when it is ready to eat.
Citrus from the Sweet Valley region is especially flavorful, with excellent Brix and Brix/acid ratio scores providing the extra sweet flavor from a fruit with a naturally low caloric density. “Easy-to-peel Satsumas are a special fruit with a delicious flavor profile and limited season, which makes them ideal for retailers and consumers looking for something local and extraordinary,” said Mack Glass of Cherokee Satsumas.
Sweet Valley Citrus has also recently launched a new website, sweetvalleycitrus.com/, full of information for retailers, foodservice buyers and consumers. “The new website helps expand the allure of Sweet Valley Citrus, especially Satsumas, and will generate demand for the special fruit that grows there,” said Karen Nardozza, president and CEO of Moxxy, the marketing agency that created the Sweet Valley brand, website and other marketing materials to promote the region.
In addition to explaining what makes Sweet Valley Citrus unique and special, the website also helps retail and foodservice buyers connect with growers and packers, and provides detailed information on seasonality, varieties, nutrition, selection and storage.
In addition to Satsuma mandarins, Sweet Valley Citrus is also known for its extraordinary Shiranui mandarins, Cara Cara navel oranges, grapefruit, Kishu mandarins, Tango tangerines, and lemons. Visit sweetvalleycitrus.com or contact hello@sweetvalleycitrus.com for more information.
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About Sweet Valley Citrus
The Sweet Valley Citrus region spans a tri-state zone throughout North Florida, South Alabama and South Georgia. These growing areas share unique soil and weather that make Sweet Valley Citrus sweeter and more flavorful. All citrus varieties, including Sweet Valley’s famous Satsumas, are grown on local family farms, tree-ripened, and shipped daily from farmer-owned packing facilities.
The Sweet Valley Citrus brand was created by the Cold Hardy Citrus Association, a 501(c)(5) organization established in 2017 to ensure all producers in the region have a unified voice in an emerging industry and to provide education on best farming practices. Members include growers, handlers, shippers and allied businesses. For more information visit sweetvalleycitrus.com.
Delaware River Valley seaports should reach an all-time high this fall and winter with fresh fruit and vegetable imports.
Peru and Chile are driving the key growth with increased volume and more varied production from growers.
Chilean imports at Philadelphia started 50 years ago.
The port’s reefer container cargo has grown by an average of 12 percent since 2012.
PhilaPort is the brand used by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, a Pennsylvania agency located in Philadelphia.
Nomenclature and statistical references for the Delaware River are complex because there are major port facilities in three neighboring states.
Thirty miles south of Philadelphia, the Port of Wilmington, Delaware, offers a huge and expanding fresh produce import trade. In Gloucester City, NJ, facing Pennsylvania from across the wide river, are massive dock and warehouse facilities owned by Holt Logistics Corp.
Countless businesses along the river and scattered throughout this sprawling metropolitan area coordinate with state and federal agencies to build their fruit business.
Family businesses owned by the Holt’s, Manfredi’s, Procacci’s and Kopke’s, and other families, have invested countless millions of dollars to boost port cold storage and other infrastructure.
Americold, Lineage, and other cold warehouses are also expanding to meet demand.
Manfredi Cos., Inc., of Kennett Square, PA offers extensive cold storage space, as well as transportation, logistics, and repacking services to all Delaware Valley docks.
Manfredi used to used imports from the area to fill seasonal gaps of domestic products, but now is importing the year-round. The company also notes offshore growers are making significant investments for volume growth for the next 15 years.
Summer citrus imports historically preceded a market void before Peru filled the market. Now for Manfredi, imported citrus is in its warehouse12 months a year, creating a different approach to warehouse planning.
Peruvian fruit production has been arriving earlier and earlier into the Delaware River, with the first ships of 2022 arriving in July. Peruvian grapes came into the market this September as a precursor to the Chilean deal.
Grapes and blueberries are Manfredi’s largest-volume Peruvian products. Avocados rank third. Peruvian citrus and mangos are also up for the cold storage.
Moroccan Clementines arrive in the fall and winter. For this season, Manfredi awaits Moroccan growers’ projections, although they are expected to be similar to last season.
Manfredi has recently been working with Brazilian mango growers to have a new program into the Delaware River. Refrigerated containers of Brazilian grapes began arriving here late last summer.
PhilaPort notes Brazil, South Africa’s Western Cape, North Africa, Spain, and Portugal, are all looking to increase volumes for delivery in the Delaware River.
PhilaPort on April 27 announced the maiden call of a new MSC service to the Port of Philadelphia. Running the route named “Indus 2” is the 6,730-TEU (20-foot Equivalent Unit) container vessel MSC Michaela.
Indus 2 embarks from Mundra, India. Subsequent calls are Nhava Sheva, India, and after the Suez Canal, there are stops in Gioia Tauro, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Sines, Portugal; and then on to Halifax, ending at Philadelphia’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.
PhilaPort credits Packer Avenue Terminal operator, Holt Logistics, with doing a great job with the customer base and made Indus 2 a reality.
Indus 2 offers opportunities for cold chain produce volume increases from Mediterranean countries. These may include frozen Egyptian vegetables and Italian gourmet meats.
U.S. Apple shipments were lagging at the start of the season during the past month or so, but overall volume is expected to be similar to 2021-2022.
But it’s going to be a little different for the 2022-2023 season simply because Washington represents 75 to 80 percent of fresh apple production in the United States. The growing conditions in Washington state are a critical factor in total US apple production for the country.
Honeybear Marketing LLC of Brewster, WA reports a difficult growing season in Washington this year due to a cool spring and a spotty bloom.
The vertically integrated, multi-region apple grower and packer reports the Honeycrisp and Gala varieties have been hit hardest and the state’s fresh apple production is expected to be down from 120 million bushels last year to a projected 105, to 110 million this year.
The Midwest and Northeast make up the remainder of US apple production. Each region has a share of about 10-15 percent in total US production. Last year was a tough year for the Midwest, only harvesting about 60 percent of a normal crop due to frost. This year however, both Michigan in the Midwest and New York in the Northeast are expecting a full crop. All in all, total US fresh apple production is expected to be similar to last year.
A colder spring is caused a late start with the apple harvest, which was delayed a couple of weeks and didn’t really get underway until around Labor Day for the early varieties. The result has been shipping gap, especially for varieties like Gala and Fuji. Some retailers have reported empty selves until the new crop to arrive in stores.
With many regions being out of fruit before new harvest arrives, retailers and processors are looking to the Southern Hemisphere for imported supplies. In fact further reliance on dual hemisphere supplies are predicted to last into the spring and summer of 2023 because the overall domestic crop volume for this year has not much different from last year.
Research finds that eating grapes regularly leads to unique gene expression patterns, reduces fatty liver, and extends the lifespan of mice consuming a high-fat western-style diet.
In comprehensive studies published recently in the journal Foods, it was reported that the long-term addition of grapes to the diet of mice leads to unique gene expression patterns, reduces fatty liver, and extends the lifespan of animals consuming a high-fat western style diet. The research team was led by Dr. John Pezzuto of Western New England University.
Pezzuto, who is an author of over 600 papers in the scientific literature, said he was especially amazed by these results. “We have all heard the saying ‘you are what you eat’ which is obviously true since we all start out as a fetus and end up being an adult by eating food. But these studies add an entirely new dimension to that old saying. Not only is food converted to our body parts, but as shown by our work with dietary grapes, it actually changes our genetic expression. That is truly remarkable.”
What is the effect of this alteration of gene expression? As shown in this paper, fatty liver is prevented or delayed. Fatty liver is a condition that affects around 25% of the world’s population and can eventually lead to untoward effects, including liver cancer. The genes responsible for the development of fatty liver were altered in a beneficial way by consuming grapes. In ancillary work, not only is the expression of genes altered, but metabolism is also changed by dietary grapes. This study was recently published by a collaborative team led by Dr. Jeffrey Idle in the journal Food & Function.
Studies of grapes add an entirely new dimension to the saying ‘you are what you eat.’
In addition to genes related to fatty liver, the work found that the grape-supplemented diets increased levels of antioxidant genes. According to Pezzuto, “Many people think about taking dietary supplements that boast high antioxidant activity. In actual fact, though, you cannot consume enough of an antioxidant to make a big difference. But if you change the level of antioxidant gene expression, as we observed with grapes added to the diet, the result is a catalytic response that can make a real difference.”
Another remarkable effect demonstrated in this research was the ability of grapes to extend the lifespan of mice given a high-fat western pattern diet. The high-fat western pattern diet is known to be associated with adverse conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. Adding grapes to the diet, which did not affect the rate of consumption or body weight, delayed natural death. Although translating years of lifespan from a mouse to a human is not an exact science, Pezzuto notes that his best estimate is the change observed in the study would correspond to an additional 4-5 years in the life of a human.
Precisely how all of this relates to humans remains to be seen, but it is clear that adding grapes to the diet changes gene expression in more than just the liver. In studies recently published in the journal Antioxidants by Pezzuto and his team of researchers, it was found that grape consumption alters gene expression in the brain. At the same time, grape consumption had positive effects on behavior and cognition that were impaired by a high-fat diet, suggesting that the alteration of gene expression was what produced this beneficial response. More studies are needed, but it is notable that a team led by Silverman at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) reported that the daily administration of grapes had a protective effect on brain metabolism. This new research indicates that this is due to alteration of gene expression.
References:
“Consumption of Grapes Modulates Gene Expression, Reduces Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and Extends Longevity in Female C57BL/6J Mice Provided with a High-Fat Western-Pattern Diet” by Asim Dave, Eun-Jung Park, Avinash Kumar, Falguni Parande, Diren Beyoğlu, Jeffrey R. Idle and John M. Pezzuto, 5 July 2022, Foods. DOI: 10.3390/foods11131984
Peruvian table grape exports for the 2022-23 season are predicted to increase by 11 percent to 71.5 million boxes equivalent to 8.2 kilograms each, according to Provid, the country’s table grape export association.
Besides volume increase, Peru has expanded its production season, which begins with the Red Globe in June and ends in March, covering almost the entire year. In Piura the seedless grapes start in September, following along the Peruvian coast until March in Ica, culminating with the second harvest in Piura in April.
Peru exported 64 million boxes of table grapes in the 2021-22 season, an increase of 13 percent compared to the 57 million boxes sent during previous season.
White seedless accounted for 42 percent of exports in 2021-22, up 37 percent from the previous season, followed by Red seedless (28 percent, +14 percent), as well as Red Globe (25 percent, -7percent) and Black seedless (3 percent, -20 percent).
Northwest potato hauling opportunities are improving as the harvest continues. Low supplies from the old crop had reduced chances of loading, combined with a high demand situation earlier in September.
Small sizes are plentiful resulting in a wide range of prices based on size, from a low of $10 per 50-pound carton of 100-size russets up to the low $40s for sizes 40 and 50, the USDA reports.
Norkotah Potatoes are being shipped out of Idaho and Washington. Large-size Idaho Norkotah supplies (40- through 60-count) remain tight; small-size potatoes (70- through 100-count) are ample Large-size order fulfillment is improving, but will remain sporadic Norkotah quality remains good; skinning and excess moisture may be observed in fresh-run potatoes MFC Norkotah Potatoes will begin to ship out of storage in mid-October.B
The new crop of Burbank harvesting has just started.
Burbank Potatoes will be available once the sweat process is completed in approximately late October to early November.
