Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
New Jersey blueberry shipments should be up this season.
The Atlantic Blueberry Co., of Hammonton, NJ reports “blues” loadings should continue through July, with slightly more volume than a year ago.
Last season New Jersey shipped about 38 million pounds of blueberries, and this year the prediction is closer to 42 million pounds.
As for Atlantic Blueberry Co. itself, the company sees have more volume, without disclosing numbers.
Diamond Blueberry Inc. of Hammonton, NJ’s reports a good crop in Southern Jersey. It began shipments the second week of June, with average volume seen.
Diamond Blueberry Inc. is the sales agent for Variety Farms, which will have mostly the Duke and Bluecrop varieties, and volume close to last season.
Wenatchee, WA.- CMI Orchards anticipates growth in the 2021 cherry crop.
Excellent weather conditions, including an absence of significant frost events, have contributed to outstanding quality, great sizing, and 17% growth of this year’s crop as compared to 2020. “We are seeing consistent spread throughout our growing districts, with Skeena and Sweetheart cherries showing exceptional size and quality,” explained Joel Hewitt, Domestic Sales Organic Manager for the company.
“The timing of this year’s crop started off a bit later than last year but is lining up nicely with market demand with limited overlap with the California crop. We expect harvest to continue throughout the remainder of June and July,” explained Export Manager Scott Agnew.
CMI Orchards is the leader in Northwest cherries, bringing a number of specialty varieties and innovative programs to retail partners. Vice President of Marketing, George Harter, describes CMI’s selling tools as second to none. “The Northwest cherry season is short and sweet, and our goal is to deliver the best sales opportunities for our customers creating a win-win situation,” he said. “We’re expecting to peak just in time for Independence Day celebrations, and our American Dream program is a great tool for retailers to stir up excitement in store with eye-catching, patriotic displays and packaging.”
About CMI Orchards
CMI Orchards is one of the largest growers, packers, and shippers of premium Washington State apples, pears, and cherries.
Sweet cherry shipments are well underway in the Northwest, and produce is arriving at destination points across the country for the 2021 crop.
The cherry industry has shipped just under 600,000 boxes total, much less than forecasted before cooler weather arrived.
July may not hit the high volumes experienced in 2017 (15 million) or 2018 (13.5 million), but at an estimated 11.3 million boxes the 2021 crop should deliver just under the 5-year average of 11.8 million boxes in July.
As detailed in the Northwest Cherry Growers last report, the end of May brought cool and unsettled weather which delayed the first pick for many of the early growers. Similar weather patterns have largely continued to be the case as harvest slowly spreads and picks up speed in other spots across the Northwest. Atypical storm fronts and lower daytime temperatures have caused growers to delay picking in order to allow their fruit to reach optimal maturity before harvest, which has led to an overall slower start to harvest and limited initial volumes.
While most growers are not looking at a full crop this season, their combined volume will steadily increase and should produce a steady supply through mid-August.
Yakima Valley cherries grossing – about $6900 to Chicago; $9700 to New York City.
Summer vegetable shipments in Ohio are off to a good start, according to Buurma Farms of Williard, OH.
The vegetable shipper started loading trucks in late May, led by radishes, turnips, mustard greens, collard, kale and cilantro. In early June the company added in red lettuce, green lettuce, escarole and endive, romaine and Boston lettuce to its shipping list.
Acreage is similar to last season.
With the harvest is on schedule, it is shaping up as a pretty much normal year.
In July, there will be an increase of cucumbers, sweet corn and peppers, among other items.
Ohio vegetable shipments will continue into November.
Buurma Farms is located in the north central part of Ohio between Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo.
The grower ships to customers east of the Mississippi River from Boston down to Miami and as far west as St. Louis and Memphis.
In addition, Buurma Farms can ship produce overnight to about two-thirds of the population of the U.S.
Mexican strawberry exports soared 24.8 percent at an annual rate from January to April 2021, reaching $662 million dollars.
Opportimes reported volume hit 156,800 tons, an increase of 16.3 percent over last year.
Mexico’s share of the U.S. import market declined in the past two years, to about 60 percent in 2020, from 79 percent in 2018, while imports from Chile to the U.S. increased 6 percent, and imports from Peru grew 40 percent, the California Strawberry Commission reported.
Despite a decline in export shipments in mid-March 2020 when the U.S. lockdown began, shipments to the U.S. increased in 2020.
The California Strawberry Commission reported total shipments from the state in 2020 were 1.892 million pounds, 4 percent more than the previous year. While total shipments from Florida calendar year in 2020 were up 20 percent from the previous year.
Strawberry exports from central Mexico to the U.S. typically occur from November to March, while strawberry exports from Baja California, Mexico, occur from January to April in smaller quantities.
Mexican strawberry exports create competition during the Florida season and the California growing areas of Orange County and Oxnard.
The California Strawberry Processing Advisory Board reported the 2020 estimated package of frozen strawberries in the U.S. was 359.7 pounds, slightly below the previous year and below the average levels of recent years.
With a lower package, below average starting stocks, and a slight increase in demand, U.S. frozen strawberry imports were up 26 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year.
Import volumes from Mexico, the largest supplier of frozen strawberry imports to the US, increased 17 percent from 2019.
An estimated 460,000 metric tons (MT) of Hass avocados will be exported from Peru in the 2021 season, an increase of almost 30 percent over last season.
ProHass Peru reports this increase will represent an additional 100,000MT compared to the previous season.
New strategies have been launched this year, including opening markets while consolidating existing ones and working closely with SENASA to make sure only mature fruit is exported, ProHass reports.
The primary change will be incorporating small and medium producers to export their fruit.
“Avocado growers in the Sierra de Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Lima and Arequipa regions among others will be included, with fruit harvested and exported as early as January.
The Peruvian avocado export season is now expanded to nine months, from January to September.
Peru’s main export destinations are Europe and the U.S, with the former importing 270,000MT, and the latter with a projected volume around 100,000MT.
Asia follows with 78,000MT and then Chile with 42,000MT, a country that has increased its import of Peruvian fruit this year and is expected to have an increase for the season of around 70 percent over last year.
It has been a slow start for 2021 Argentina apple exports.
During the first four months of 2021, the Rio Negro region exported 24,071 tons of apples, reflecting a 30 percent decrease when compared to the same period of last year and the lowest export volume of region’s history, as reported by Rio Negro.
According to the Agricultural Food Health and Quality Service (Senasa), traditionally, the first semester sets a trend on what the season will be. Official statistics show most of the destinations for this fruit showed negative numbers. Considering the slump, it is difficult for apple export volumes to end on a positive note at the end of 2021.
Domestic market shipments and stocks registered in cold storage also fell during this part of the year.
Senasa points out pear exports reached 171,865 tons during this period, reflecting a drop of 4 percent when compared to the same time last year.
Between apples and pears, the region is shipping about 17,000 fewer tons of fruit, reflecting losses of just over $14 million during this time.
The Chilean Citrus Committee of ASOEX estimates a 6% increase in citrus exports, encompassing navels, lemons, and easy peelers (clementines and mandarins).
With a total citrus forecast of 387,000 metric tons, Chile expects to ship roughly 85% of all of its volume to the U.S. market, according to a news release from the group detailing the initial crop estimate.
Growth will continue to be driven by the easy peeler category, with a projected 7% increase for clementines (rising to 55,000 metric tons) and an 11% increase for mandarins (up to 145,000 metric tons), according to the news release. The estimated double-digit growth for mandarins in 2021 follows a 40% volume jump in 2020.
Lemons, of which an estimated 60% will be shipped to the U.S., are expected to see a 3% increase, according to the release.
Chilean navel volume will stay relatively the same, at around 89,000 metric tons.
According to the committee, the overall increase in volume is due primarily to the expansion of plantings over the past decade. There are now 55,105 acres of citrus in Chile.
“Last year’s rain in the central region replenished reservoirs and helped boost production,” Juan Enrique Ortuzar, president of the Chilean Citrus Committee, said in the release.
Wonderful Citrus of Delano, CA will import summer citrus from Chile, South Africa, Peru, Uruguay and Argentina and Chris Cockle, with volume expected to be up significantly.
2021 will be the first year the company will have a year-round supply of Halos featuring high quality and value, meaning it will be on ad by supermarkets.” Cockle said, adding that the 2021 summer season will feature promotable Halo volumes for the first time.
Wonderful has exclusive access to one of the largest growers in the Southern Hemisphere, in South Africa, providing consistent high quality and reliable supply.
The company notes transportation costs are up this year, but Wonderful has options to increase efficiency across the country for shipping. Wonderful also has an exclusive third-party packing house in Savannah, GA.
Summer citrus volume for Yonkers, N.Y.-based Jac Vandenberg should see slightly increased volume, says John Paap, brand manager for the company.
With expected volume of close to 1.7 million cartons, the importer sources citrus from Argentina, Australia, Chile, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay, Paap said. About 1% of Jac Vandenberg’s volume is organic, and Paap said the company intends to expand its organic citrus offering in coming years.
Jac Vandenberg of Yonkers, NY expects a slight increase volume with summer citrus.
Vandenberg expects to import 1.7 million cartons of citrus from Argentina, Australia, Chile, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay. About 1% of the company’s volume is organic.
Vandenberg has a full lineup of citrus products, which includes lemons, oranges, mandarins, grapefruit and tangelos.
U.S. total fruit imports rose by 8 percent over last year to $6.4 billion in the first quarter of 2021, with much of the increase led by berries.
Fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries all saw increases of about 25 percent. Imports of blueberries rose by 28 percent to $377 million, while strawberry imports were up 25 percent to $596 million, and raspberries also increased by 25 percent to $302 million. Blackberries had a more modest increase of 11 percent to $145 million.
However, two of the biggest fruit import categories – avocados and bananas – dropped by 5 and 6 percent respectively to $674 million and $470 million.
Table grape imports through mid-February were off 14 percent at $388 million, while in the second half of the quarter it increased by 13 percent to $480 million.
With citrus, there was a 28 percent rise to $232 million which driven mostly by limes, which grew by 43 percent to $156 million.
Imports of fresh melons dropped by 14 percent to $193 millon.
Frozen fruits saw a significant 38 percent uptick to $341 million, while fruit juices were up 21 percent to $559 million, and processed fruit grew by 2 percent to $464 million.