Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Washington State asparagus shipments start this week launching the 2022 season with fresh asparagus available. Primary customers are regional supermarkets, farmers markets and restaurants this week. Shipments will extend into June.
In 2021, about 15 million pounds of asparagus were harvested, with an economic impact of $30 million for growers and packers. Washington State is one of the nation’s leading producers of domestic asparagus.
The Washington Asparagus Commission believes it grower members will produce over 20 million pounds this season. Last season was the first time Washington failed to harvest at least 20 million pounds in more than 50 years. Factors related to import competition and unseasonable weather.
Washington’s organic production of fresh asparagus accounts for approximately eight percent annually.
The health benefits of asparagus are bountiful. Research has found it can protect the body from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. It’s fat-free, cholesterol-free, and its amino acid helps cleanse the body of toxins. It’s rich in fiber, Vitamins A, C, K, E, folate, and glutathione (anti-carcinogen and antioxidant).
Washington Asparagus Commission
Established in 1991, The Washington Asparagus Commission promotes Washington asparagus domestically, monitors and addresses trade issues, and advances environmentally sound production practices through research. The Washington Asparagus Commission represents the growers’ interest in areas and issues relating to the asparagus industry. waasparagus.com.
Florida mature green tomato volume is surging, while vine-ripes and romas from Mexico on in a seasonal decline.
Good growing weather in Florida is resulting in shipments of good volume for tomatoes from the Ruskin/Palmetto, FL region. About 400 truckloads per week are being shipped.
Meanwhile, vine ripe tomatoes will continue to decline this month. Just under 500 truckloads crossed the Mexican border into the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas last week. About 250 truckloads of Mexican tomatoes crossed through Nogales, AZ.
In Western Mexico there is a mixture of a new crop coming on with an existing crop. Grape tomato shipments with transition to Baja California during the next month crossing into San Diego.
The California desert region will start limited shipments of round tomatoes in mid-May, with the bulk of the California summer season beginning in mid-June.
Chilean exports of blueberries and table grapes both experienced year-on-year declines in the first quarter of 2022 amid severe logistical issues and higher costs.
Blueberry exports between January and March fell by 5 percent in volume to 89,478 tons and 9 percent in value to $429 million FOB, national association Fedefruta reports.
Meanwhile, table grapes dropped by 2 percent in volume to 253,300 tons and 16 percent in value to $397 million FOB.
In preseason forecasts, blueberry exports for the 2021-22 season had been pegged on par with last season, while table grapes made been expecting a big increase of around a quarter.
Despite the declines for the second and third most exported fruits over the period, growth in the leading category – cherries – was enough to lift overall fruit exports by 4 percent in volume to 933,000 tons and 7 percent in value to $2.7 billion.
“In a season in which we did not have weather problems, this harvest was impacted by the logistical bottleneck in the national ports, and in the delay of journeys and the increase in freight and input costs,” comments the president of Fedefruta, Jorge Valenzuela.
“Without a doubt, we have never had this problem at this level, due to freight costs that have tripled. There is fruit that is not being harvested because it is more expensive to ship than to leave it on the tree.
He added that because of the delay in logistics, about 4,000 containers of Chilean cherries did not arrive on time to the markets in China.
“Before the New Year we had a very good campaign, but the problems were seen after that holiday. We have a perishable product must arrive at the right times, and this season it was very difficult to comply. A lot of fruit was at sea for a long time,” he said.
Regarding blueberries, “I would not like to talk about percentages, but many loads of blueberries have been damaged. We have received information that blueberries have been the fruit most complicated by this logistical crisis. The loss of condition is naturally reflected in no sales and falling prices”.
U.S. total fruit imports by value soared by a quarter to a new record over January and February this year, with fresh, frozen and processed categories all seeing double-digit growth.
USDA data shows imports over the two months rose by 23 percent year-on-year to $4.9 billion.
In the previous four years over the same two months, the import value had always totalled between $3.7 billion and $4 billion.
However, the import volume did not rise at the same pace as the value, growing by just 7 percent year-on-year. But they still hit a record of 2.6 million tons.
Looking at the value, the ‘other fruit category’ – which is by far the largest and includes avocados, berries and bananas – rose by 19 percent to $2.5 billion. The rise was driven primarily by avocados and blueberries.
The citrus category saw the biggest growth, almost doubling to $253 million. That increase was driven by mandarins and limes.
The other categories listed by the USDA – deciduous, juices, processed, frozen, melons, dried and prepared – all experiencing growth ranging from the mid-teens to the mid-twenties.
Of the top-five supplying countries, import growth was largest from Mexico and Peru – at 27 percent each. Next was Chile, up 14 percent, Guatemala, up 11 percent, and Costa Rica, up 6 percent.
Peppers shipments for Prime Time International are winding down from Mexico and transitioning to the Coachella Valley.
For the next two and one-half months the California desert will be primary source of shipments for the company, based in La Quinta, CA.P
Prime Time is growing and shipping green, red, and yellow Bell peppers, along with white and bi-color sweet corn, eggplant and chilies.
The company continues to pack hot house Bell peppers, asparagus and sweet mini peppers in various regions across Mainland and Baja Mexico throughout the summer.
The transition to the Coachella Valley is underway now and will continue to migrate north in early summer to the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast of California. The California desert’s warm, dry climate allows for peak growing conditions in the springtime.
Volume, quality and size peak in April, May and early June in Coachella.
The Coachella Valley has had a warm winter and early spring, leading Prime Time to expect an earlier start to the season. Sweet corn and Bell peppers are starting nearly two weeks earlier than usual for Prime Time. The company usually begins peak volume for the Memorial Day weekend, and this is expected again this season.
When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ended longer border inspections he had implemented April 15, it was good news for produce haulers and produce shippers. The policy was started nearly a week earlier. However, some think it may be weeks before the supply chain gets back to normal.
The immigration policy decision came as Texas is trying to stop the open border policies of the Biden administration. It resulted in gridlock and hundreds of millions of lost dollars and delays in shipments including produce items such as avocados and strawberries.
Abbott’s move ultimately created a logjam of trucks between the U.S. and its largest goods trading partner. Vegetable producers say their produce is spoiling in idling trucks and they are losing hundreds of millions of dollars.
Nearly $9 billion of fresh produce crosses the Texas border from Mexico each year, said Dante L. Galeazzi, CEO and president of the Texas International Produce Association. And for the past week, that produce has been held hostage, with businesses and goods “being used as bargaining chips,” Galeazzi was quoted as saying.
What used to be a routine border crossing turned into a 30-hour wait for some trucks. Meanwhile, the fruits and vegetables in those trucks spoiled, leaving some produce department shelves sparse or empty in advance of the holiday weekend, he said.
“It could take a week or longer, up to probably three weeks, before the supply chain realigns,” Galeazzi said.
Losses to fruit and vegetable producers are estimated to be more than $240 million, said Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas.
Consumers will also pay a price as producers look to recoup some of their losses and supplies run low.
Americans can expect to spend more on strawberries, avocados and asparagus, with the impacts being felt the heaviest in the Midwest and Northeast, Jungmeyer said.
It could ultimately take several weeks for supply chains to recover from the weeklong slowdown at the border, said Matthew Hockenberry, a Fordham University assistant professor who studies supply chains and logistics.
“It’s also just so hard to predict, because there’s so much supply instability right now,” he said, noting that China’s latest wave of lockdowns and the war in Ukraine are causing even more disruptions.
“The amount of supply uncertainty is so high that to add another straw here to the camel’s back is a dangerous proposition.”
Mexican grape shipments for 2022 should reach a new high, surpassing 25 million boxes, a 19.5 percent increase compared to last year, according to the Mexican Table Grapes Growers Association (AALPUM).
In a press confernce, the AALPUM president Marco Antonio Camou, AALPUM and the Fresh Produce Association of Americas (FPAA) reported what is expected for Mexican table grapes.
The largest volume is red seedless varieties at 46.9 percent, followed by white seedless varieties at 41.08 percent, then black seedless varieties at 5.97 percent and cotton candy at 4.70 percent.
The first harvest is expected for the beginning of May, with picking accelerating from May 15th onward. The early season should produce some 7.4 million boxes through May, followed by peak season with 16.59 million boxes in June. Finally the late season, in July, should produce around 1.45 million boxes of table grapes.
The season is expected to extend longer this year, past the U.S. independence day of July 4th into the middle of that month.
It was noted growers have been working with the planted crop to reduce the peak experienced in the past in May and June, and instead offer a more steady constant supply of the fruit.
Also, there are some expectations due to the delayed arrival of Chilean grapes, there will be some overlap between the stock of the two countries.
Shipping will continue from Nogales, AZ and other forward distribution points until mid‐July.
In addition to cotton candy, there are several hundred thousand boxes of exotic flavored varieties. In this estimate these varieties are included in their respective color group.
Gem-Pack Berries LLC of Irvine, CA and and Red Blossom Sales Inc. of Salinas, CA merged last October and combined the companies now has about 5,000 acres of strawberries in Florida, Mexico and California, as well as raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.
Gem-Pack reports the expansion now allows year around shipments of berries with the ability to continue growing.
During the next three months, strawberry shipments will be heavy, creating more opportunities to work on branding with retailers.
The company is a major shipper of strawberries. It will increase strawberry volume by 15 percent this year. Although, it has a few new items.
It is shipping pineberries out of Florida, as well as new blackberry varieties from Mexico. The company also added raspberries to its product line.
The company also offers organic strawberries out of Baja, Mexico, and Watsonville, CA.
Plenty of good volume is expected with Mexican mangoes this spring and summer, with shipments already well ahead of last year.
Importers received 31.7 million 8.8-pound boxes of mangoes from January 20 to March 20 this year, an increase from the 28 million boxes shipped at the same time a year ago, according to USDA.
During 2021, the U.S. received the equivalent of about 138.3 million 8.8-pound boxes of mangoes, up from approximately 132.1 million boxes in 2020.
Mexican mangoes start arriving in the U.S. in February and should continue into September.
Circuli Bros. LLC of Rio Rico, AZ reports growing regions experienced unusually dry weather this season, helping produce some exceptional mangoes.
Sweet Seasons of Pharr, TX has a wide selection of mangoes from February to August.
Varieties include criollo, ataulfo, keitt, Manilla rosa/carabao, yellow criollo, tommy atkins, irwin, kent and others. Baby green mango, ataulfo and tommy atkins are the most popular. A variety called mango criollo verde could be on the horizon from Sweet Seasons.
Quality is good this season, and volume should be up. April to May is Sweet Seasons’ peak shipping period for mangoes.
Amazon Produce Network of Vineland, N.J., offers mangoes year-round, and is the companies’ biggest volume commodity.
The operation sources mangoes from all the major growing areas, including Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Guatemala.
During April, the company imports mangoes from Guatemala, primarily for the East Coast, and from Mexico mostly for the West Coast.
Increased inspections of commercial vehicles, including trucks carrying fresh produce from Mexico to the U.S., is delaying deliveries during a time of excess supply chain disruptions.
This is tied to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowing to strengthen border protections and inspections in response to the Biden Administration’s plans to end pandemic emergency health orders that allowed federal officials to turn away migrants seeking asylum.
The Texas Border Truck Inspection Enforcement Action is one of the measures, which allows for state inspections after U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspections.
Several trade groups have written to Abbott to reconsider what these actions do to cross border trade and ultimately to consumers of these products.
Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas Bwrote:
Texas has some of the most secure Commercial Ports of Entry anywhere along the U.S. border. Officers use sophisticated technology to see through the trailers and catch illicit cargo and prevent human smuggling.
Adding an additional Texas DPS inspection once trucks have crossed the border is causing serious delays with no commensurate increase in border safety.
Unfortunately, delays from DPS inspections mean that up to 80% of perishable fruits and vegetables have been unable to cross daily. This is causing losses of millions of dollars a day for employers and employees who have been idled.
Trucks are waiting over 24 hours to cross the border. Customers are unable to load product from their Texas suppliers. Transportation shortages are increasing as available trucks are stuck waiting in line to cross the border.
Food shortages will rise as we head into Easter. Trucks are running out of diesel fuel to run refrigerated units on the trailers, resulting in catastrophic damage to highly perishable fresh fruits and vegetables. This means that even when a truck is able to cross the border eventually, the product could be damaged significantly.
If DPS inspections stopped today, it would take over a week for the supply chain to return to normal. Unfortunately, the loss of inventory, freshness, and sales will never be recovered, and these losses are a direct economic loss to Texas companies, and lost sales to their customers around North America.
Dante Galeazzi, CEO/president of Texas International Produce Association Bwrote:
Last night, commercial trucks crossing the Pharr International Bridges were in a miles long line that took until nearly 2am this morning to clear the bridge. Today, the line is at a stand-still as trucks are crawling out of the import lot. Many carriers and brokers are reporting hours of non-movement.
Border security is an important element of this region, but so is the trade that keeps millions of Texans employed. According to a study from Texas A&M, fresh produce arriving from Mexico not only employs nearly 8,000 Texans but is also responsible for $850M in economic impact to the state. Further, our industry is in the midst of the ‘Easter Pull’ in which grocery stores are ordering products for the holiday promotion. The execution of this order has wreaked havoc up and down our supply chain and is likely to leave state store shelves with limited fresh produce supplies.
Warehouses have staff sitting idle, with no trucks to unload. Buyers in other parts of the country cannot understand why their product is not available. US trucking companies are losing money as they sit around for days with no loads to haul. I have even heard from a member that a trucking company is refusing to send trucks south of San Antonio out of concern there will be no cargo available. This is destroying our business and the reputation of Texas. I foresee companies making plans to move their business to New Mexico and Arizona.
TIPA urges your office to modify this action. We implore you to work with the Department of Homeland Security on a more effective process which meets the country’s need for security while balancing our dependency on efficient trade.We oppose any state-level action that results in an inspection process that duplicates the inspections already performed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, whose work at the land border ports of entry is informed by highly attuned risk assessment models, intelligence gathering, and a commitment to the agency’s dual mission of enforcement and facilitation.
Border Trade Alliance president Britton Mullen said:
The Border Trade Alliance believes strongly that cross-border trade and travel efficiency should be balanced with security.
While border states like Texas have an important role to play in ensuring truck safety and code compliance, the state should be working in collaboration with CBP, not engaging in a new inspection scheme that will slow the movement of freight, which will only exacerbate the country’s supply chain crisis and put even more upward pressure on consumer prices.
The BTA urges the Governor’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security to work cooperatively to meet the country’s security and economic needs.
At the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition Spring Meeting in El Paso April 11, Abbott said, “Texans demand and deserve an aggressive, comprehensive strategy to secure our border—not President Biden’s lackluster leadership. As the federal government continues to roll back commonsense policies that once kept our communities safe, our local law enforcement has stepped up to protect Texans from dangerous criminals, deadly drugs, and illegal contraband flooding into the Lone Star State. Texas will always be a law-and-order state, and I thank our law enforcement officers who have answered the call to protect and serve their fellow Texans in the federal government’s absence in securing our border.”