Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Between January and August, Peruvian blueberry exports reached $343 million in FOB value, registering a 14 percent drop year-on-year. According to Peru’s Exporters Association, the decrease was mostly due to weather factors.
According to the ADEX Data Trade Intelligence System, the United States took a 49 percent share of overall shipments, confirming its position as the top destination market for blueberries.
Between January and August, Peruvian blueberry exports reached $343 million in FOB value, registering a 14 percent drop year-on-year. According to Peru’s Exporters Association, the decrease was mostly due to weather factors.
According to the ADEX Data Trade Intelligence System, the United States took a 49 percent share of overall shipments, confirming its position as the top destination market for blueberries.
However, the U.S. percentage also saw a 23 percent decrease compared to last year’s figures, as Peruvian volumes continue to be hindered by El Niño. In August, Peruvian domestic production fell by 52 percent.
The Netherlands and China complete the top three destinations for Peruvian blueberry exports this season, with a respective 20 percent and 10 percent share of shipments.
Piura, Lambayeque and La Libertad continue to lead production. But these growing areas also post major decreases: Piura’s volumes dropped 80 percent, Lambayeque’s by 79 percent and La Libertad is down 50 percent year-on-year.
Agroexports Manager Claudia Solano Oré assures that ADEX already has a strategy to boost the sector, as weather woes continue to stall production.
ADEX will be visiting associate companies to learn more about their challenges, in hopes of providing support.
The Netherlands and China complete the top three destinations for Peruvian blueberry exports this season, with a respective 20 percent and 10 percent share of shipments.
However, the U.S. percentage also saw a 23 percent decrease compared to last year’s figures, as Peruvian volumes continue to be hindered by El Niño. In August, Peruvian domestic production fell by 52 percent.
Piura, Lambayeque and La Libertad continue to lead production. But these growing areas also post major decreases: Piura’s volumes dropped 80 percent, Lambayeque’s by 79 percent and La Libertad is down 50 percent year-on-year.
Agroexports Manager Claudia Solano Oré assures that ADEX already has a strategy to boost the sector, as weather woes continue to stall production.
ADEX will be visiting associate companies to learn more about their challenges, in hopes of providing support.
Maine potato growers and shippers are expecting average shipments for their crop in the 2023-24 season.
Cambridge Farms of Presque Isle, ME experienced average yields during harvest, although it may have a little more volume. The company has
russet, white, red and yellow potatoes.
Green Thumb Farms Inc. of Fryeburg, ME sees its volume being up slightly this year with good quality.
The Maine Farmers Exchange in Presque Isle describes this season’s potatoes as a mixed bags with some operations being up in volume. size and yields, while others are down. Rains and cloudy weather are cited as reasons.
Maine potato loadings got underway with the start of November.
Irving Farms Marketing Inc. of Caribou, ME has added a new storage unit to the 40,000-square-foot packing facility it opened last year. The new refrigerated, humidity-controlled storage facility will hold 55,000 hundredweight units.
The company is moving away from round white potatoes and offering more russets as well as red and yellow potatoes.
Volume and yields should be similar to last year.
The Table Grape Committee of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) has released its first estimate for the 2023-24 season, projecting five percent growth in exports. This is based on information provided by the Committee’s member companies, which represent 82% of Chile’s total table grape shipments.
The Committee is forecasting 63,780,328 18-pound boxes. As ASOEX President Iván Marambio states, “This projected growth is due primarily to an increase in the production of new varieties, which will represent 63% of Chile’s total fresh grape exports this season, close to 40 million boxes.”
The Committee projects that within the next two years, 70% of grape shipments will consist of new varieties. This is a significant increase from 55% during the 2022-23 season.
The U.S. continues to be the main destination market for Chilean table grapes, despite challenges that are delaying the approval of the Systems Approach protocol for exports. For the upcoming 2023-24 season, the U.S. is projected to take 56% of overall shipments. Asia and Europe follow with 19% and 16%, respectively.
The Committee’s coordinator, Ignacio Caballero, notes that green grapes will experience the most growth. “We expect an increase of 16% in green grape volume over the previous season, with impressive increases in Sweet Globe, Autumn Crisp and Arra 15 varieties,” he states.
Exports of green grape varieties are projected to be around 22.9 million boxes, of which 74.4% will be new varieties.
Shipments of red varieties are expected to exceed 24.9 million boxes, of which 74.1% will correspond to new varieties. Timco, Allison, and Sweet Celebration are some of the main standouts among the red varieties.
As for black grapes, exports will be around 6 million boxes, with 76.5% new varieties, including Sable Seedless, Sweet Favors, and Sweet Sapphire.
The first shipments of Chilean grapes are scheduled for mid-November.
U.S. Valencia orange shipments will be up 23 percent 2023-24, at 20.85 million boxes, an increase from 16.91 million boxes in the previous season, according to a USDA crop forecast.
The increases are expected to be led by a 35 percent growth in Florida Valencia orange production, which is projected to be at 13 million boxes next year, from 9.65 million boxes in 2022-23.
Florida production of non-Valencia oranges is expected to be up by 22 percent, at 7.5 million boxes, from last season’s 6.7 million boxes.
This will result in a nationwide increase to 44.95 million boxes for non-Valencias, up from 43.2million boxes for the 2022-23 season. California non-Valencia production will be more or less flat: 37 million boxes as opposed to 36.5 million boxes in the previous season.
Florida grapefruit production will be 5 percent higher: 1.9 million boxes, up from 1.81 million boxes in 2022-23. California’s grapefruit crop is expected to be down to 3.5 million boxes from last season’s 4 million boxes. Texas will see a slight drop, to 2.2 million boxes from 2.25 million boxes.
California navel orange production is expected to be up by 1 percent this season, at 74 million, according to a forecast issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
The CDFA report notes fruit set was much higher in Fresno County (360 per tree, from 2022-23’s 245) at that time. Fruit set for Tulare and Kern county was down over the previous year.
The CDFA report also predicted a California Cara Cara production of 7 million cartons.
For tangerines and mandarins, the USDA forecast is 23.5 million boxes, down slightly from 24.18 million boxes last season. California accounts for practically all of the drop, as well for total national production.
Lemon production is pegged at 24.5 million boxes, down from 27.9 million boxes last season. The drop is largely due to lower California production: 23 million boxes as opposed to 26.5 million boxes in 2022-23.
The first monthly citrus crop forecast for the 2023-24 harvest season has been issued by the USDA. The federal agency estimates Florida orange production at 20.5 million boxes this season, which represents a 30% increase from last year.
This comes as the Florida citrus industry begins closing the door on what has been a very difficult year, with multiple weather incidents stalling production.
In 2022, the state was severely impacted by Hurricane Ian, which caused flooding and crop damage due to harsh winds. This year, Hurricane Idalia left a similar count, with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service putting damages at an estimated $447.9 million.
Florida’s 2023-24 fiscal year began July 1, and with that came more than $65 million in funding from the Florida Legislature to support Florida citrus. This investment includes $38 million to support grower research and replanting of citrus trees.
The Chilean Blueberry Committee of ASOEX, together with iQonsulting, have estimated a volume of 82,000 tons of fresh blueberries for the 2023/24 season. This represents a six percent decrease in fresh exports from the previous year. Updated estimates will be released throughout the Chilean Blueberry season.
Explains Andres Armstrong, executive director of the Chilean Blueberry Committee, “The decrease is due in large part to ongoing varietal replacement that is taking place within the Chilean blueberry industry. Growers have uprooted 2,876 acres of old varieties with lower productivity and poor postharvest life, and have replaced it with 1,450 acres of new varieties. We now have a total of 44,654 acres, which is two percent less than 2022, but the move toward new varieties is incredibly positive for the industry.”
Armstrong added, “Newly planted varieties comprise 20% of the planted area and we expect that this will only increase in the coming years.” He went on to communicate that varieties that have good productivity but are weaker post-harvest are being diverted to the frozen market, an attractive alternative for some producers.
The executive director of the Blueberry Committee explained that the strategy adopted by the Blueberry Committee and its associated companies is focused on renewing varieties and generating more efficient production management and logistical services. This will facilitate the arrival of consistent quality fruit to the markets at competitive costs.
There have been reports of Peru’s volume decline due to the impact of El Niño, with some discussion about how this might impact the overall market and Chile, more specifically. Armstrong emphasized that the Chilean blueberry industry is not speculating on what might happen with Peruvian supply in December and January. He commented, “We have a unique opportunity to show our global markets that Chile is a necessary part of their global blueberry supply, and that is what our exporters are focusing on.”
Regarding the effect of El Niño on Chilean blueberries thus far, Armstrong noted that it would appear to be minimal. The intense rains in regions with a significant acreage of blueberries occurred before flowering, so there is little impact on production. Also, the lower accumulation of cold hours, a phenomenon that has strongly affected blueberry production in Peru, will have a lesser impact in Chile since it occurred in regions that produce small volumes of blueberries. The Chilean Blueberry Committee is continually monitoring the impact of weather conditions on blueberries and will issue any relevant updates to keep their global customers informed.
Chelsea, MA – Morning Kiss Organic is anticipating an excellent season for sweet potatoes, a healthy and versatile crowd favorite for favorite fall dishes. Several organic varieties are available, including Garnet sweet potatoes, which have a deep reddish-purple skin and offer mild sweet flavor with savory earthiness. This variety is great for frying, baking, and casseroles.
This season’s crop is sourced from multiple East Coast family farms, including Barnes Farming Farm Pak. Based in North Carolina, Farm Pak is committed to sustainability by practicing regenerative agriculture through practices of crop rotation, carbon sequestration, and soil sampling.
“We are thrilled to work with a company whose values so closely align with ours,” says Michael Guptill of Gold Bell. “Sweet potatoes are in high demand at this time of year as a versatile and delicious component of cold weather cooking – fried, mashed, or added to salads. And consumers are increasingly aware of their health benefits – they contain fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins.”
Several organic varieties are available, including Garnet sweet potatoes, which offer mild sweet flavor with savory earthiness. These are great for frying, baking, and casseroles.
As with all of its offerings, Morning Kiss Organic employs just-in-time inventory management, reducing loss to product spoilage at retail, and therefore protecting the retailer’s bottom line.
About Morning Kiss Organic
Morning Kiss Organic is the organic brand of Gold Bell, DiSilva Fruit and Arrowfarms. Headquartered in Massachusetts, Morning Kiss Organic products are available year round in a range of customizable formats, packed to order. Unique packaging options offer economical packaging, pricing, faster turns and less waste. Always fresh, the company uses just in time inventory management as well as daily deliveries to ensure the highest quality, best tasting selection available. Natural and healthy, Morning Kiss products are always non-GMO. Morning Kiss Organic is committed to sourcing from East Coast farmers whenever possible, and delivers daily to stores and distribution centers.
More information: www.morningkissorganic.com
Elgin, Minn. – This National Apple Month, Honeybear Brands, a leading grower, packer, shipper, and developer of premium apples, is reporting a strong Pazazz apple crop.
“We’re seeing robust crops across all our orchards, including those on both coasts and the Midwest,” says Don Roper, vice president at Honeybear Brands.
Shipments are originating from Washington, the Midwest, New York and Nova Scotia. For the second year in a row, Honeybear Brands will provide Pazazz from Chilean orchards insuring that year round availability.
Various storage capabilities provide shorter shipping distances to markets throughout the year.
About Honeybear Brands
Family owned and operated for more than 40 years, Honeybear is a dual hemisphere grower, packer, shipper and importer of apples, pears and cherries year-round. It is a pioneer in the commercialization of Honeycrisp apples. Honeybear Brands is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wescott Agri Products
Riveridge Produce Marketing of Sparta, MI. is Michigan’s largest apple grower-packer-shipper and the company reports its 2023 apple crop, as well as that of Michigan – is the second largest ever, trailing only 2022. This season, Riveridge has the same acreage but more production because maturing, premium-variety blocks have developed to boost productivity.
The company estimates Michigan’s 2023 fresh market apple harvest will be between 30 and 32 million bushels. A primary difference is the final pack-outs for this new crop should be much better than the 2022 Michigan apple crop, thanks to more favorable growing conditions.
Riveridge finished shipping its 2022 apple crop just in time to start packing the new 2023 season.
For the coming year, Riverridge is shipping five varieties until the beginning of 2024’s harvest. These varieties are Gala, Fuji, Honey Crisp, Red Delicious and Ambrosia. Ambrosia is only in its third season for Riveridge to grow and ship and is rapidly gaining in popularity.
The company began harvesting its Red Delicious crop in the first week of October. Red Delicious accounts for about 10-12% of Riveridge’s volume.
Projected Chilean avocado volumes for 2023-24 will remain close to 2022-23 levels. This would put the numbers at about 165,346 tons for the Hass variety, according to the Chilean Avocado Committee.
The committee, reports fruit size is good, yet factors such as water availability and location will be considered.
Chile’s main destination markets remain Europe, the U.S., China and Argentina.
The committee estimate about 90,000 tons will be exported, which is 60% of the total production.
Chile’s share in the U.S. avocado market has slowed down in the past few years, as Mexico’s geographical proximity and abundant offer gives Chilean fruit little space.
As for domestic consumption, Chile continues to have one of the higher per capita consumption indexes in the world with 17 pounds. It is only surpassed by Mexico, at 19 pounds.