Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
After what’s been a complicated year for Florida citrus growers, with very low productive levels due to hurricane damage and the ever-present citrus greening disease, a recent estimate by the USDA Agricultural Statistics Board is projecting an increase in both grapefruit and tangerine production.
The forecast for all grapefruit production is 2.40 million boxes, up 500,000 boxes from the October forecast. If realized, this would be 33% more than last season’s final production.
Red grapefruit, now at 2.1 million boxes, up by 450,000 boxes from the October forecast. Fruit size is projected to be above average.
White grapefruit volumes are forecasted up 50,000 boxes and are now at 300,000 boxes. Projected fruit size at harvest is slightly above average while projected droppage is below average.
Tangerine and tangelo production is estimated at 550,000 boxes, up 50,000 boxes from the October forecast.
The USDA’s forecast for all orange varieties remains unchanged for the October forecast at 20.5 million boxes.
As the Peruvian sweet onion season draws to a close, Keystone Fruit Marketing of Greencastle, PA, a division of Progressive Produce of Los Angeles, is gearing up to transition from Peruvian Mayan Sweets to Mexican Mayan Sweets.
Keystone’s Mayan Sweets are well-recognized as a respected and established brand with a long history. The company’s foray into sweet onions began in the early 1990s when it became the first company to grow sweet onions in Peru.
The founders of Keystone wanted to have a year-round sweet onion program, and that meant going to various regions across North and South America to ensure a high-quality sweet onions available throughout the year.
Today, Keystone Fruit Marketing remains one of the largest importers of sweet onions from Peru into the United States and now has grower partners in multiple regions, including Washington, California, Mexico, Texas and Georgia.
The Peruvian sweet onion season, a cornerstone of Keystone’s year-round program, typically runs from late July through March, with peak supply from September to December.
As the Peruvian sweet onion season nears its conclusion, Keystone anticipates the start of the Mexican sweet onion season, set to kick off in mid-January. Early indications suggest an excellent crop.
Keystone expects goos supplies of Mexican sweet onions available through April, along with a full line of onion varieties, including red, white, yellow and it flat sweet onions for 2024.
Adverse weather conditions have played havoc with Peruvian mango exports this season. A forecast by The Peruvian Association of Mango Producers and Exports (APEM) reveals volumes will plunge by 76% this season to 60,000 tons.
In the 2022-23 season, the country reported export volumes of 250,000 tons, the fourth consecutive increase for the fruit.
The drop in export volumes has caused prices to surge, even double the price of last season for fruit transported by air.
APEM notes production in the San Lorenzo Valley, and pretty much every growing region was very affected by rains during March and April.
Maritime exports to the United States started about three weeks ago. About
95% of the country’s mango exports are by boat.
Forecasts indicate that the main market will be the U.S. since Europe will have some Brazilian mangos.
The APEM originally estimated exports to the U.S. would be approximately 8 million boxes, but that total has now been reduced to 5 million boxes.
While some winter vegetables from West Mexico have been crossing the border at Nogales, AZ since mid November, volume has been gradually increasing. Peak shipments occur during January, February and March.
Importer/exporter and shipper EarthBlend of Nogales was receiving a steady supply of Sonoran soft squash and cucumbers, and Sinaloa volume in mid November. Volume is now significantly more now and will get even better after the New Year.
Among its first items for shipping were Sonoran soft squash and cucumbers. It has good volume with beans, soft squash (Italian, yellow and grey), hard-shell (butternut, spaghetti, acorn and kabocha), cucumbers (slicer, European and Persian), bell peppers (mini sweet peppers, green, red, yellow and orange) and hot peppers (jalapeno, serrano, poblano and Anaheim).
When spring arrives it will be loading watermelon, honeydew and roma tomatoes.
This will be Earth Blend’s first season to have steady shipments of melons. The past three years the company has been increasing its roma crop volume, starting the harvest in mid-April and finishing mid-June.
EarthBlend’s peak shipments with Mexican watermelons and honeydew will occur from mid-March through the end of May.
Importer Rich River Produce of Rio Rico, AZ started shipping Mexican vegetables in mid October, a full month ahead of when it normally starts. However, weather factors and strong domestic demand has interrupted a steady flow of product.
Rich River Produce specializes in chili peppers and other hot pepper varieties. Besides hot peppers, the company also has good supplies of bell peppers, cucumbers and roma tomatoes.
The company works with eight to nine growers throughout theMexican winter growing regions.
Growers estimate 12.7 percent more acres were planted in Idaho this year compared to last.
There will be enough supply to meet demand through the rest of the 2023-24 season due to higher yields, according to Markon Cooperative of Salinas, CA, in a press release.
The North American Potato Market News reported growers produced 434.22 million cwt. of potatoes this season, about 35.48 million cwt. more than 2022 (cwt. is the abbreviation for hundredweight, which is roughly 100 pounds).
The warm summer months contributed to excellent quality and a high pack-out of No. 1 quality potatoes.
40- through 50-count potatoes will remain limited; 90- through 100-count will be readily available throughout the season.
Berry Fresh of Compton, CA is again bringing in Sweet Karoline blackberries from Mexico.
With blackberry supply from Mexico on the horizon, Sweet Karoline is forecasted to begin entering the market in late December, according to Berry Fresh. Heavier supply is anticipated in later February and volume will continue through spring, the release said.
“Let’s bring blackberries into the spotlight!” Jyoti Bhogal, vice president of sales and marketing for Berry Fresh, said in a news release. “We are excited about this year’s season and our plans to promote Sweet Karoline with our retailer partners and straight to the end customers as well. Customers are asking for this variety now, and we have plans to expand our distribution.”
Berry Fresh says that as more people add berries to their shopping list, varieties like Sweet Karoline help keep blackberries top of mind for both health and flavor enthusiasts.
Israeli company BDA/Dorot Farm, a grower group of fresh and sweet carrots, is launching its crop for the upcoming season in the North American region.
Dorot Farm supplies jumbo carrots to markets, foodservice and fresh-cut companies, according to a news release. The marketer provides cello carrots in 1-pound, 2-pound, 3-pound and 5-pound bags to major retail chains in the Northeast and Canada.
“The new crop from Dorot Farm looks good, and I’m very happy with the field’s conditions,” Ami Ben-Dror, CEO of BDA/Dorot Farm, said in the release. “We will be ready to deliver our new crop to all of our loyal customers around the world.”
BDA/Dorot Farm is a top exporter of fresh and sweet carrots around the world, exporting to North America, Europe, and Africa, according to the release.
The company’s shipping is handled through BDA Marketing Inc. of Melville, NY.
As of the first week of November, Peruvian grape exports to the U.S. totaled 10,295 tons, up 33 percent from 2022. The leading Peruvian exporters at this point are Ecosac Agrícola S.A.C., with 16 percent, and Sociedad Agrícola Rapel S.A.C., with 9 percent.
Also as of the first week of November, Peruvian grape shipments totaled 26,581 tons, 12 percent more than the same week last year.
With this, to date, shipments have already reached 111,521 tons, which has placed this season 54 percent ahead of last year, as reported by freshfruit.pe.
The early November totals revealed product was exported to 32 destinations, of which 3 accounted for 67 percent of all shipments. These were the U.S. with 39 percent of the volume, followed by the Netherlands with 20 percent, and the UK with 9 percent.
Shipments to the Netherlands totaled 5,246 tons, which was 22 percent higher than the same week last year. The leading Peruvian exporters were Ecosac Agrícola S.A.C., with 27 percent, and Pura Fruit Company S.A.C., with 8 percent.
To the UK, shipments of Peruvian grapes totaled 2,376 tons, which meant an increase of 2 percent compared to 2022. The most prominent exporters were Sociedad Agrícola Rapel S.A.C., with 19 percent, and Ecosac Agrícola S.A.C., with 18 percent.
Phoenix, AZ: Arizona is known as the winter lettuce capital of the U.S., providing Americans with an abundance of lettuce and leafy greens from November to March.
According to United States Department of Agriculture statistics, Arizona farmers grow approximately 25% of the total U.S. lettuce supply each year. On an annual basis, the leafy greens farming community in Arizona generates a $2 billion impact.
“Right now, Arizona farms are actively growing and harvesting all leafy greens from Iceberg and Romaine to spinach and spring mix.” said Teressa Lopez, Administrator of the Arizona LGMA program. “Arizona LGMA food safety audits will begin this week and continue regularly throughout our growing season.”
To celebrate the start of harvest, Arizona’s governor, Katie Hobbs proclaimed November 2023 as Arizona Leafy Greens Month. This is the 11h annual celebration, and during that time Arizona farmers have produced more than 99 billion servings of lettuce (based on the average production of 9 billion servings per year).
About Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement
Arizona LGMA works to protect public health by cultivating food safety practices, verifying on-farm compliance, utilizing data for improvement and empowering industry with tools to advance food safety. www.arizonaleafygreens.org
The Chilean Blueberry Committee, together with iQonsulting, have updated their export estimate for the 2023-2024 season, forecasting exports of 76,500 tons of fresh blueberries. This new figure reflects a decrease of 7% compared to the first estimate made in October, and a decrease of 13% from 2022-23.
Year-to-date shipments to the US are rapidly ramping up, with 276 tons exported during the first week of November. In total, 892 tons of fresh blueberries have been shipped to the U.S. this season, compared to just 357 at the same time last year.
Andrés Armstrong, executive director of the Blueberry Committee commented, “This new forecast takes into consideration the effect of the rains during the first two weeks of November, as well as other associated climatic events such as frost and hail. He pointed out that the fruit is developing and progressing similar to previous seasons, as are weekly exports. “We’re seeing a pattern similar to the average of recent seasons, which will generate an initial peak of more than 5 thousand tons in week 49. Meanwhile, the period of highest volumes, with up to 8 thousand tons weekly, will occur between Weeks 51-2023 and 03-2024,” he observed.
Armstrong reported that, to date, exports of fresh blueberries are 18% greater than last season, and “the inclusion of new varieties and strong decrease of non-recommended varieties are dominating our exports.” He also highlighted that, regarding the types of shipments, “air shipments have led exports to date with 1,422 tons and a growth of 170% compared to the same period last season. Maritime shipments are starting to increase, reaching 495 tons, which is 56% less than what was shipped during the same period last season”.