Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category

Peruvian Blueberry Volume is Rebounding from Last Season’s Weather Issues

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“A Blue Ocean Strategy” is a recent report by intelligence firm Fluctuante, which studied Peru’s status as the world’s top blueberry exporter. The company reports the current Peruvian season shows a recovery, not growth, relating to last year’s El Nino phenomenon. The weather reduced production an adversely affected trade.

From mid April through June Peru exported 155,000 tons of blueberries, valued at $1.26 billion and priced at $8.13 per kilogram. While this represents an increase from 112,000 tons in the previous period, it was noted it is still 19% below the 2022-2023 season’s 200,000 tons.

While there is an increase from 112,000 to 155,000 tons, in reality, it was a recovery. When one looks at the 2022-23 seaon for the same period, there was200,000 tons exported.

The industry has grown by 40% compared to the previous season, “but the trade is still 19% under the 2022-23 season.

Fluctuante attributed the recovery to improved yields, with 80% of growth coming from higher productivity on existing plantations and the remaining 20% from new acreage.

In 2016, the top exporting regions were La Libertad and Trujillo. However, new players are entering the board. 

That production will grow in two directions in the coming years. 80% will be coming from the growth in yields in the plantations already established, with more tons per hectare produced; and the remaining 20% will be represented by new land producing fruit.

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Desert Weather Improves and So Does Shipments of Winter Lettuce

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Ideal weather conditions aided growth in November and December. Lettuce and other desert row crops, including value-added items, are demonstrating great quality and high yields. Supplies are abundant throughout the desert growing region, according to Markon Cooperative of Salinas, CA

Green leaf: Prices are low; supplies are abundant in the Arizona-California desert growing region. Quality has improved due to warmer weather.

Iceberg: Prices have eased in the Arizona-California desert. Quality has improved; warmer weather has increased growth and head weights.

Salads and blends: Higher temperatures in the Arizona-California desert region has aided growth and increased stocks. Quality is very good.

The extended weather forecast for the desert has highs mostly in the 70s through the end of the year.

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Idaho Poised for Good Potato Volume Shipping Season

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Brisk potato shipments right through the holidays and leading up to the February Super Bowl are seen by Idaho shippers, who are optimistic over excellent quality and a little less volume.

Wada Farms Marketing Group of Idaho Falls, ID describes the current period as “…the Super Bowl of potato movement.”

He described quality as “top notch.”

The company reports a good profile (size, quality and variety) across the board for foodservice and retail customers.

Besides conventional varieties, Wada Farms has russet, red, yellow and some purple organic potatoes.

Its organic potatoes are available from July through April.

Eagle Eye Produce of Idaho Falls, ID had one of its best harvests, which was described as exceptional.

Wilcox Fresh of Rexburg, ID reports an outstanding crop with good size and quality, noting there were too many potatoes last year.

Idaho’s potato acreage dropped from 329,000 acres last season to 312,000 acres for 2024-25, according to the Idaho Potato Commission of Eagle, ID. Growers have returned to a typical year of acreage and yields.

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Hurricanes, Storms to Reduce Florida Citrus Shipments; How Much is the Question

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Florida citrus shipments will be off this season compared to last year because of some major hurricanes and storms. How much of a decline remains to be seen.

Category 3 Hurricane Milton, hit Florida on Oct. 10, and barrelled through nearly 70% of the state’s most productive citrus counties, reported Florida Citrus Mutual of Bartow, FL.

The storm arrived just before harvest, making the fruit highly susceptible to the strong winds, causing substantial fruit drop and damaging trees.

During the 2023-24 season, Florida’s citrus growers produced 17.97 million boxes of oranges, 1.79 million boxes of grapefruit and 450,000 boxes of tangelos and tangerines for a total of about 20.2 million boxes — an increase from 15.85 million boxes during the 2022-23 season, according to Citrus Mutual.

USDA’s first crop estimate of the 2024-25 harvest season released Oct. 11 forecast 15 million boxes of oranges, 1.4 million boxes of grapefruit and 400,000 boxes of tangerines and tangelos — a total of 16.8 million boxes. However, the estimate was released before Hurricane Milton made landfall. Future forecasts are expected to reflect a reduction in production.

The biggest impact in Central Florida came from Hurricane Milton, reports the 100-year-old Dundee Citrus Growers Association, Dundee, FL, parent company of Florida Classic Growers Inc., which also handles U.S. and Canadian marketing for Riverfront Packing, Vero Beach, FL.

Milton knocked a lot of fruit on the ground, tipped some trees over and did some damage to the operation’s packinghouse.

Some groves with navel oranges and hamlin juice oranges lost over half their crop, but it could have been worse, the company noted.

Dundee Fruit is still running pretty steady right, because it has a fair amount of citrus under protective screens protecting against fruit damage.

Feek Family Citrus and DLF Packing in Fort Pierce, FL, were fortunate.

The company lost 20% to 30% of its fall crop, mostly navel oranges, but did not experience any storm damage to its packinghouse.

The company’s main crop of valencia oranges should start shipping after the holidays and will continue from storage into July.

The firm is finished building a new cooler and should have new offices ready sometime in December. The new facility occupies 35,000 square feet and will be an addition to its existing packinghouse.

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North Carolina Sweet Potato Shipments Could Plunge 20 to 30% This Season

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On the heels of Thanksgiving, the unofficial sweet potato eating holiday, The North Carolina Sweet potato Commission (NCSC) of Benson, NC, is reporting a smaller annual yield despite a slight increase in acreage after a challenging growing and harvest season.

Estimates are that yields may be down 20-30% across the industry.

Despite the reduction, North Carolina remains the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the nation, producing over 60% of the total sweet potatoes grown in the U.S.  The state has held that leadership position since 1971. That leadership continues today thanks to an industry focused on sustainability in production across the supply chain to meet changing industry demands.

Changes in sweet potato production are not uncommon. Over the last 10+ years, there has been volume movement up and down because of weather conditions, global markets, the pandemic and its lingering impacts on the foodservice industry, as well as the continued reality of rising input costs and labor challenges.

Michelle Grainger, executive director of the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission remarked, “2023 and 2024 have proven to be challenging years for agriculture in North Carolina that have forced sweet potato growers to make hard decisions to stabilize our industry.”

About the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission 
Founded in 1961 the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission is a nonprofit corporation made up of over 300 sweetpotato producers, along with the packers and business associates that support them.  NCSC is committed to supporting its growers and increasing sweetpotato consumption through education, promotional activities, research, and honorable horticultural practices among its producers. 

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Loading Delays with Desert Lettuce Due to Cold and Ice; Quality Problems

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Markon Cooperative of Salinas, CA in a press release reports low temperatures in the Arizona and California deserts have resulted in ice forming on lettuce in the growing fields.

  • The Arizona/California desert growing region is experiencing the coldest weather of the season, causing significant lettuce ice
  • After several days of cool wind gusts, morning temperatures have dipped into the upper 20°s to low 30°s
  • Short-term challenges include:
    • Dehydration
    • Harvesting and loading delays
    • Stalled plant growth
  • Markon inspectors are monitoring crops and supplies closely for long-term quality challenges that include:
    • Discoloration
    • Epidermal blister/peel
    • Low case weights
    • Shortened shelf-life

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Comeback with South American Mango Exports is Occurring after Off Year

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With the conclusion of the Mexican mango season, South American exports are ramping up on a weekly basis, with the U.S. being a primary destination.

Brazil started shipping in August and, as of early November, the country had moved 5.7 million boxes of a total expected volume of 7.6 million boxes for the season, according to Agraria.

Brazil is the fourth-largest supplier of mangos to the U.S., after Mexico, Peru and Ecuador. However, last season it ranked third on this list, as Ecuadorian and Peruvian production was affected by poor weather conditions.

The National Mango Board of Orlando, FL reports Brazil will be exporting more fruit to Europe, and shipments to the United States are expected to be down nearly 38 percent from a year ago.

Additionally, Ecuador’s mango exports to the U.S. started earlier and stronger this season, expecting to be over 160 percent higher than in 2023. As a result, Brazil is looking to the European market.

Ecuador is expected to play a much larger role in supplying mangos to the U.S. market compared to last year. During the 2023-2024 season, the country’s mango production was hit hard by El Niño, resulting in a significant decline in volumes.

Last year, the Ecuador exported about 5 million boxes of mangos compared to 14 million in a normal year. This year, Ecuador is expected to return to normal, with an estimated volume of 14 million boxes for the U.S. market.

Peru, the second largest supplier of mangos to the US., also expects a much better season. Last year, the country saw a 74 percent reduction in volume shipped as a result of adverse weather conditions. Instead of the 6.1 million boxes shipped last year, Peru expects to get back on track this year, with an estimated shipment of more than 23 million boxes to the U.S., from early October to early March 2025.

Peru expects to hit the milestone of shipping one million boxes per week during the holiday season.

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Canadian Apple Shipments Expected to Increase by 5% this Season

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Canadian apple production is predicted to increase 5% in the 2024-25 marketing year, driven by a larger Quebec crop and average Ontario crop, according to a new USDA report.

The apple crop in British Columbia is expected to be average with apple trees having weathered a January 2024 cold event better than pears and grapes, the report said.

While the British Columbia crop will be average by volume, there are sizing and quality issues.

“Additionally, one of the packers and owners of controlled atmosphere in the province, the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative announced an immediate closure in July,” the report said, adding that the closure left many growers without a packer for the upcoming harvest and with a loss of access to controlled atmosphere storage.

“Some growers may look to secure storage access in Washington state, a smaller Washington crop may help support access to these storage facilities,” the report said. “As a result of limited controlled atmosphere storage options at present, it is likely that there will be a large volume of apples selling through the end of 2024 as growers lack the capacity to put them in longer-term storage. This would in turn create a greater need for imports to satisfy [British Columbia] retailer and consumer demand from January 2025 onwards. A higher volume on the market through end of 2024 will also continue to negatively impact pricing.”

The report said Canadian pear production for 2024-25 is forecast to be down 9% compared with the previous season because of cold impacts to the crop in British Columbia. A larger Ontario crop will only partially offset losses in British Columbia, the report said.

Canadian imports of apples and pears are forecast to be down slightly in marketing year 2024-25, driven by shifting consumer preferences and a reduction in U.S. production, according to the report.

The USDA said fresh apple imports are forecast to drop a little over 2% because of the increase in Canadian apple production and a decline in the U.S. apple crop.

“Canada is forecast to maintain recent year’s export pace with a larger crop supporting a forecast of 8% growth in exports,” the USDA said. A smaller U.S. apple crop will also provide additional export opportunity for Canadian apples, the report said.

Production of table grapes is forecast to decline 16% due to adverse weather events impacting Ontario and British Columbia. The USDA predicts Canada will increase its imports of grapes by 2% in 2024-25.

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South Texas Citrus Loadings Underway with Volume Expected Similar to a Year Ago

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South Texas grapefruit and orange shipments have started withh expectations of a fresh crop for 2024-25 of 2.5 million cartons of grapefruit, 1 million cartons of early oranges and 500,000 cartons of late oranges.

Trade association Texas Citrus Mutual of Mission, TX sees of a similar volume compared to last year, with the condition of the fruit looking strong. Fruit quality has been great in the first few weeks of harvest.

In the 2023-24 season, USDA shipment figures indicate Texas fresh grapefruit shipments of 2.317 million 40-pound cartons and fresh orange shipments of 1.627 million 40-pound cartons.

The Texas citrus harvest should be finished by April.

Despite challenges including freezes, hurricanes and drought, assurances of water deliveries could encourage growers to plant more citrus in future years, the association reports.

Texas grapefruit harvested acreage in 2023 totaled 9,000, according to the Texas Agricultural Statistics Service. Yields of grapefruit were estimated at 250 boxes per acre, with an overall on-tree return of $20.93 per box. The value of both fresh and processed fruit was $50.5 million. Of utilized production of 90,000 tons, fresh accounted for 50,000 tons and processing uses accounted for 40,000 tons.

Texas orange harvested acreage in 2023 totaled 6,100, generating 48,000 tons of utilized production. Fresh market orange utilization was 35,000 tons, compared with just 12,000 tons for processing. The overall value of the Texas orange crop in 2023 was $14.8 million, with yields of 185 boxes per acre. The on-tree equivalent for orange prices was $11.30 per box, according to the Texas Agricultural Statistics Service.

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Mango Volume Exported to the U.S. is Expected to be 123% higher over Last Year

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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%). 

 

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