Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
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.
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.
Canada is expected to import more apples, pears and grapes in 2022-23, a new USDA report projects.
The annual Canada Fresh Deciduous report predicted both production and import numbers for apples, grapes and pears.
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.
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.
The Port of Wilmington, DE, received its first shipment of fresh Moroccan citrus in early December for the 2022-23 winter fruit season.
The first arrival was on the M/V Crown Garnet, a specialized refrigerated vessel. The Crown Garnet immediately discharged her cargo, which exceeded 5,000 pallets of fresh clementines, according to a press release.
During this winter fruit season, which will run through May 2023, the port anticipates receiving approximately 12 shiploads of fruit from Morocco’s Atlantic port of Agadir.
Joe Cruise, chief executive officer of GT USA Wilmington, was on hand to welcome the vessel and “We are privileged to be able to continue as the port of choice to serve our Moroccan partners for the timely distribution of fresh and delicious fruit to U.S. and Canadian consumers. We are looking forward to assisting our partners with another successful season.”
In the release, GT USA Wilmington describes itself as the “U.S.’ foremost marine terminal for perishable cargo.” Wilmington ranks as North America’s top banana port.
Wilmington is a major port of entry and distribution center for the seasonal importation of fresh Moroccan citrus, along with other fruits and juices from around the globe.
Cargo is stored in the Port’s 850,000 square foot on-dock refrigerated warehouse complex, one of North America’s largest facilities, before distribution to markets throughout North America.
The Maine Potato Exchange based in Presque Isle reports gauging this year’s potato crop was difficult because the early acreage numbers reported last spring by the USDA appear to be inaccurate.
USDA estimated 60,000 acres of spuds compared of to 53,000 the previous year.
When the crop was harvested and put in storage, the final acre figure was again around the 53,000 acre level.
Maine farmers seem to be having a pretty good yearl in part because . potatoes are a rotation crop being grown on the same land one year out of every three. During the other two years, growers plant such crops as broccoli, barley, alfalfa and clover to help the soil.
Florida strawberry shipments are expected to be greater than a year ago as increased acreage now is approaching 12,000 acres. Loadings are increasing with the biggest months for shipments coming with the New Year.
The Florida Strawberry Growers Association of Plant City, FL reports in the calendar year 2021, Florida shipped 17% of its annual volume in December, 13% in January, 35% in February, 32% in March and 2% in April.
Florida’s strawberry production in 2022-23 has increased to close to 12,000 acres. In 2021, Florida’s office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated harvested acres at 10,400, with a reported crop value of nearly $400 million.
Wish Farms of Plant City, FL last season had around 2,100 acres of red strawberries, both conventional and organic, as well as Pink-A-Boo Pineberries. The company sees a 10% increase, with that number going to around 2,300 acres.
Wish Farms report a good, consistent crop with shipments ramping up in January through February and into March.
While Florida strawberries are very popular within the state, distribution also is heavy throughout the U.S. southeast. The grower/shipper also ships significant volume to the mid-Atlantic, Midwest and as far north as Ontario, Canada.
GEM-Pack reports its has doubled its production of pineberries for the new season. The company started shipping in December and continues until April.
Pineberries are a hybrid cross and are smaller than a common strawberry, measuring between 15 to 23 mm (0.6 to 0.9 in). When ripe, it is almost completely white, but with red seeds.
The company’s berry loadings will be heaviest from now until Valentine’s Day.
Imported Chilean cherries are expected to make another dramatic increase this season, while fewer blueberries and grapes are predicted.
Chile has become the leading supplier of cherries in the southern hemisphere, delivering 96 percent of the world’s counter season supply. Last season’s exports exceeded 356,000 tons, reflecting a growth of 98 percent in three years when compared to the 179,927 tons exported in 2018-2019. It is projected that this season will incur another 25 percent increase.
According to figures from the Office of Agrarian Studies and Policies (Odepa), cherry exports to the U.S. totaled 4,638 tons in 2020 and rose to 7,615 tons in 2021. So far in 2022, the figure has already reached 9,328 tons.
During the 2021-2022 season, cherry exports to the U.S. grew by 94 percent, according to the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association. The organization
expect exports to the U.S. to double again this 2022-2023 season.
In the case of table grapes, the main market is North America, receiving 320,000 tons during the 2021-2022 season, equivalent to 53 percent of total world grape exports.
According to estimates by the Table Grape Committee, this year’s harvest will be 7.7 percent lower than last season.
The projections of the Chilean Blueberry Committee-ASOEX estimate a volume of 98,228 tons of fresh Chilean blueberries for the 2022-2023 season. Shipments to the US market have already started and will continue until February. If the committee’s estimate is reached, it will mean a drop of 8 percent for the 2021-2022 season.