Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Mission Produce of Oxnard, CA is diversifying where it sources avocados to ensure more consistent avocado supplies, spurred in big part by a Mexican labor strike earlier this year.
While the company wants to have a year-round supply, but also is taking steps to have multiple sources for avocados to ensure more consistent of supply.
This was a big issue in the avocado category for imported product by the U.S. coming from Mexico. Labor strikes last season caused significant disruptions. To help avoid such issues in the future, Mission has been increasing its plantings in other countries.
The company has planted 1,500 hectares (about 3,700 acres) in Colombia and has also increased its acreage in Peru from 2,600 hectares to more than 3,000 hectares (about 7,400 acres).
Mexico easily remains the dominant avocado supplier for the U.S., having exported nearly 2 billion pounds of the fruit to the U.S. in 2018, according to the USDA. Peru, the most significant source of avocados aside from Mexico, exported roughly 180 million pounds of fruit to the U.S. last year.
California table grape shipments for the remainder of the season will definitely be lighter and some observers are expressing concerns about late season quality. The California season in winding down, while South America is ramping up.
The California Table Grape Commission claims there should be good volume through early January.
While fewer grapes remain in storage compared to a year ago, plenty of fruit remains to be shipped. Typically around 46 percent of California grapes are shipped after October 1st.
The USDA reports through early November truck shipments of central California grapes totaled 55.2 million 19-pound cartons, up slightly from 54.6 million cartons the same time a year ago.
The government report indicates 13.2 million cartons of grapes remained in cold storage through October, down 28 percent from 18.1 million cartons in storage at the same time a year ago, but similar to 13.56 million two years ago.
While some later varieties of grapes were still being picked, the harvest is expected to be over in early December.
At 115.6 million 19-pound cartons, the 2018 California grape crop was the second largest on record. The 2019 grape crop, estimated at 109 million cartons, is in line with the four years before the 2018 crop.
The commission says about 2 million cartons of California grapes are expected to be shipped in January.
Very light volumes of imported Peruvian grapes were reported in the U.S. in early November and those arrivals will increase toward the year’s end.
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Capespan North America of Gloucester N.J. reports U.S. imports of South American grapes is on an earlier track this season due to a small crop in California. The company already is receiving Peruvian grapes at American ports.
Peruvian white seedless grapes are particularly in big demand because of concerns over California white seedless quality. Peruvian red seedless grapes will be arriving within days, as Capesapan feels California red will be finished by mid-December.
Pandol Bros. of Delano, CA has finished its California grape harvest and recalls last season when a lot of fruit was picked. However, much of it then was either not sold in the normal time and beyond or was outright dumped.
While Pando is predicting a 15 percent increase in total Peruvian grape exports this season, the company is less certain about Chilean grape volume. Some forecasts are above last season’s 83 million cartons, while others are below it.
Chile is also focusing increasingly on the mid- to late-section of the import season, with Peru focusing the earlier stages.
Vanguard Direct of Bakersfield, CA also was expecting an earlier than normal end to the California season.
Vanguard Direct will begin its Peruvian import season with arrivals the last week of December or early January.
New York and Pennsylvania are among the top 5 apple shipping states in the country. New York ranks second and Pennsylvania is number 4. However, Washington state easily leads the nation with nearly 65 percent of the country’s apple shipments. Michigan is the number 3 apple shipping in the U.S.
New York Apple Sales Inc. of Glenmont distributes apples from each of the state’s major growing regions and points out what a good shipping season lies ahead. The firm points out apple volume will be up from western New York, and down some in the Eastern part of the state.
Rice Fruit Co. of Gardners, PA. is one of the largest fruit shippers on the East Coast. The company notes a year ago weather was disastrous for the crop, but this year is experiencing a complete turn around.
The most popular varieties are Gala, Honeycrisp, SweeTango, Snapdragon, Fuji and newcomer Koru, which is a Fuji-Braeburn cross from New Zealand.
The Rice family grows 900 acres of apples, plus the firm packs apples for 35 other growers.
Lake Ontario Fruit Inc., a packing house in Albion, N.Y., expresses optimism for this season describing it as one of the cleanest, high quality crops in a long time.
Peruvian avocado exports to the U.S. have completed another year with impressive gains in volume to the U.S.
Avocados from Peru, a promotion group, reports 183 million pounds of Peruvian avocados arrived in the U.S. from June to September, second in import volume to Mexico.
The USDA reports weekly shipments through October 19th reveal season-to-date imports of Peruvian avocados totaled 157 million pounds, up 12 percent from 140.2 million pounds a year go.
USDA monthly trade statistics show even bigger gains. The agency reports the U.S. imported more than 83,000 metric tons from Peru from January through August, 24 percent above last year’s level. By value, the U.S. imported about $221 million worth of Peruvian avocados in the first eight months of 2019, up 53 percent from 2018.
Peru accounted for 11.4 percent of U.S. avocado import volume and 11.3 percent of U.S. import value for the January through August, up from 5.3 percent of volume and 5 percent of value for the same period in 2015.
Avocados from Peru said that from June to September, the country is the largest exporter to Europe and the second largest supplier of imported avocados to the U.S.
A growing, marketing and distribution partnership has been formed with BlueDrop of Jalisco, Mexico by blueberry grower Consalo Family Farms of Egg Harbor City, N.J.,
Consalo will sell and distribute BlueDrop blueberries and other products in the U.S. and Canada through the partnership.
BlueDrop is a large distributor of blueberries, bananas and other products — including proprietary varieties — in Mexico, with more than 32,000 acres of production, according to a news release.
“This new partnership provides us with clarity throughout the distribution chain and provides retail customers as well as consumers the freshest blueberries available,” Hector Bonilla, CEO and chairman of the board of BlueDrop Cos., said in a news release.
“We are very excited about partnering with a company of BlueDrop’s magnitude,” Skip Consalo, president, said in the release. “The growth that we envision in not only the blueberry category but across multiple other produce categories is something that we feel will greatly benefit our customers but ultimately the consumer.”
A full lineup of citrus shipments in good volume is seen this season by Fruit World Co. of Reedley, CA.
The conventional and organic fruit grower and shipper has an uninterrupted supply of organic mandarins through the California season, as well as supplies of conventional stem and leaf mandarins, according to a news release.
“We’re excited to be entering citrus season with a robust organic and conventional mandarin program, which this year includes five varieties of organic mandarins and the earliest availability of conventional California mandarins,” CJ Buxman, co-founder of Fruit World and an organic mandarin grower in the San Joaquin Valley, said in the release.
Buxman grows organic satsumas, clementines, Page, Tango and Gold Nugget mandarins, with supplies shipping from November to June. Fruit World expects to increase organic mandarin volumes 20 percent this season.
The company has a year-round California organic lemon program, with peak shipping from November to March. Organic grapefruit ships in early October, followed by navels in late October. Navels peak December through February.
Other varieties, including car acaras, blood oranges, meyer lemons and Minneola tangelos, start shipping in late December, according to the company.
California lemon shipments look good this season as consumption increases and consumers discover the health benefits and versatility of the fruit.
Limonaira Co. of Santa Paula, CA began shipping lemons last August from the desert region and moved into full volume in late October. San Joaquin Valley shipments started in early October, and full weekly volumes began in early November . California’s coastal area should start shipping lemons in February.
Growing conditions were excellent this year with good rain, mild temperatures and minimal wind.
Limoneira’s volume is expected to up 5 to 9 percent.
The Wonderful Co. LLC of Los Angeles is optimistic about the launch of Wonderful seedless lemons, which began shipping in the last couple of weeks.
A first this season will be Kern Ridge Growers LLC of Arvin, CA. The operation will have a small lemon crop in December in addition to its navel orange program.
Suntreat Packing & Shipping Co. of Dinuba, CA., grows lemons that now are packed and marketed by the Limoneira Co. The company grows lemons in Central California from November. 1 to March 1.
Imported Peruvian grapes arriving at the Port of Philadelphia has skyrocketed since 2012, when 1,000 tons of the fruit entered Philly port facilities.
The season for Peruvian grape exports is October through March.
By 2016, that number totalled 30,000 tons compared to 52,000 in 2017 and has been 60,000 tons, and more, in 2018 and 2019.
Port figures reveal fresh and dried grapes account for around 28 percent of the Peruvian freight tonnage shipped to Philadelphia. The fruit is second only to Peruvian oil from petrol and bitum mineral.
Peru’s third-largest product into Philadelphia is fresh or dried dates, figs, pineapples and avocados. This accounts for about 15 percent of the volume. That volume has ranged between 8,000 and 12,000 tons per year since 2013.
Coming in third are onions, shallots garlic and leaks with volume ranging between 4,000 and 7,000 tons per year since 2015.
There was no volume coming into Philadelphia in 2012.
Citrus accounts for roughly 10 percent of Peru’s ocean freight volume into Philadelphia. Bananas and plantains are a much smaller percentage.
Other fresh produce received in Philadelphia from Peru includes blueberries, tangerines, pomegranates, lemons, artichokes, asparagus and peppers.
Although North Carolina sweet potato shipments made up a smaller percent of national loadings this past season, it still accounted for 70 percent of the total volume of U.S. sweet potato shipments, which was down slightly from 73 percent in 2017 and the same in 2016.
USDA shipment statistics show that fresh shipments of sweet potatoes from North Carolina totaled 662.5 million pounds in 2018, down 10 percent from 736.8 million pounds in 2017 and down 4.4 percent compared with 692.4 million pounds in 2016.
As a percent of annual shipments, the USDA said top shipment months of North Carolina sweet potatoes in 2018 were:
- March: 12.6 percent;
- November: 9.6 percent:
- April: 9.6 percent; and
- January: 9.4 percent.
Some of the leading North Carolina sweet potato shippers are: Ham Produce, Snow Hill; Nash Produce, Nashville; Jackson Farming, Autryville; and Vick Family Farms Partnership, Wilson.
Florida tropical fruit shipments are expected to remain good this fall, despite extreme weather of combined heat, humidity and storms earlier in the year.
Brooks Tropicals Inc. of Homestead FL reports its passion fruit and other items are looking great. The company will be have peak loadings of avocados during the fall and early winter.
J& C Tropicals of Miami notes between January and May both Florida and Central America experienced a major drought, and the summer brought heavy rains and high temperatures. This adversely affected dragon fruit and yucca. The company also ships malanga blanca, star fruit and calabaza.