Posts Tagged “citrus imports”
NEW ROCHELLE, NY – LGS Specialty Sales, a leading importer of citrus, avocados, grapes, and persimmons, announces an update on its 2021 summer citrus season. Over the next few months, LGS’ Darling Citrus® line will include Cara Caras, lemons, minneolas, navels and W. Murcotts.
“The summer citrus season is always an exciting time at LGS,” said Luke Sears, president and founder of LGS Specialty Sales. “Our growers supply us with quality fruit and we’re excited for shoppers to experience and enjoy the various products we have available during the summer months.”
- Cara Caras – The Chilean Cara Caras will be available from August through September. The company reports the quality is great with the size trending smaller than previous seasons.
- Lemons – The Argentinian lemon season will run throughout August along with Chilean lemons through October to finish out the season. Both regions are producing premium fruit with excellent juice content.
- Minneolas – The Peruvian minneolas are of great quality with a vibrant appearance and good brix/acid ratio. The size is evenly split, which allows for availability in different pack styles and bulk sizes.
- Navels – The Chilean navel season will run throughout mid to late October. The size is trending smaller with the volume up 5-10 percent from 2020.
- W. Murcotts – The Peruvian and Chilean W. Murcott season will run from August through early November. The fruit is producing great flavor, an ideal acid/brix ratio and a vibrant orange exterior.
Additionally, LGS’ summer avocado program is also seeing great success. The Columbian summer program is producing quality avocados through August until the winter program kicks off in November. The Peruvian avocados are producing great oil content and the season is anticipated to go throughout September.
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About LGS Specialty Sales, Ltd.
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LGS Specialty Sales, Ltd. has been importing fruit from select growers around the world for 30 years. Today, LGS is a leading importer of clementines, oranges, avocados, grapes, lemons, minneolas, cara cara oranges and persimmons.
Imported Chilean blueberries begin arriving this month. Meanwhile, citrus imports from Mexico and Brazil are expected to fill a void of available Florida citrus this season.
Chilean blueberry production is down slightly from last season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean fewer berries arriving by boat at U.S. ports. The South American country is the largest producer of blueberries in the Southern Hemisphere, exporting a total of 103,000 tons in 2016-17. Of that amount, 65.7 percent, or 67,707 ton was exported to North America, which is the largest global market of Chilean “blues.”
For the 2017-18 shipping season, Chile’s fresh export volume is predicted to be at 101,700 tons.
Chilean blueberry shipments should be back on schedule this year, with the peak season running from mid-December through February. The country had an unusally early start in 2016.
Shipments on ocean vessels should begin in late November, and ramping up in December.
Early arrivals are shipped by air because of the lack of fruit volume to fill the large shipping containers used by ocean-going vessels.
Citrus Imports
The majority of oranges imported to Florida arrive from Brazil and Mexico, and that total volume is projected to surpass what is grown in the hurricane-damaged Sunshine State this season.
Last season, Brazil has accounted for 46 percent of the state’s orange imports, followed by 44 percent from Mexico. Costa Rica and Belize are among the other countries supplying citrus. Most grapefruit imported into Florida comes from California and Texas.
The Florida Citrus Commission has approved an adjusted $17.8 million budget that takes into account an increase in imports that will help cover crops lost in September to Hurricane Irma.
The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has projected a preliminary $2.5 billion impact to Florida’s agriculture industry from Irma, with estimated losses to the citrus industry at $761 million.
Even before Irma, the industry had suffered steady declines in production because of deadly citrus-greening disease.
The Florida Department of Citrus projects its revenue will come from nearly 59.3 million boxes of Florida citrus and 65 million boxes of imports.
Oranges will account for 53.7 million of the taxed boxes from Florida and 63.95 million of the imported boxes.
Northwest cherry shipments will get underway next month with more volume expected than usual later in the season. Meanwhile, South African clementine exports are expected to have good volume this season.In the first shipping estimate of the year, 21.8 million 20-pound boxes of Northwest cherries are expected. This is an increase from 20.9 million boxes last year, but less than the 2014 record crop of 23.2 million boxes.
The first of four cherry shipping estimates set for release this season. The May 4th crop estimate covers all Northwest growing districts. Cherry shipments will begin later than last year, pushing more of the loadings into July and August.
The forecast has 5.2 million boxes of cherries will be shipped in June, 13.3 million boxes in July and 3.3 million boxes in August. Last year, the Northwest shipped 500,000 boxes in May, 10 million boxes in June, 7.9 million boxes in July and very limited volume in August.
The 2017 estimate includes a strong rainier crop, exceeding the nearly identical 1.7 million box (15-pound) crops of 2015 and 2016.
With bloom running very late this, the estimate said consistent warm weather produced a great bloom across all regions. The earliest growers expect shipments to start during the second week of June, with volume extending through August.
Citrus Imports
The first South African clementines are expected to arrive in the U.S. in late May or early June. However, California mandarins are expected to ship a little longer this season, into mid-June.
The season for South African mandarins will extend into late September. South Africa’s late-season mandarins are exceptional, and should start arriving in the U.S. in August. The heavest volume is expected to start in late June or early July.
A clementine is a hybrid between a mandarin orange and a sweet orange and was named such in 1902.] The exterior is a deep orange color with a smooth, glossy appearance.
The mandarin orange, also known as the mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree with fruit resembling other oranges. Mandarins are smaller and oblate, rather than spherical like the common oranges. The taste is considered less sour, as well as sweeter and stronger.
Here is an overview of citrus imports arriving at US ports in the coming weeks and months. A significant trend is with sweet, easy-peel citrus ranging from clementines to Mandarins and Minneolas and others.
Chilean clementines – available from late May through August.
South African clementines – available from mid-June to July, and from Uruguay in May and June.
Australian late-season Mandarins -in late September through mid-October. From Chile and South Africa, they will be available from September through October.
Mandarins from Uruguay will be available July and August, and from Peru they will be available from mid-August through mid-September.
Australian Minneolas from Australia will be available from late August through September and from Peru from mid-July through August. Daisy Mandarins from Australia will be available in late June and July.
The vast majority of easy peelers and Navels produced in Chile are shipped to the U.S. market. Clementine imports from Chile should amount to 23,638 tons down slightly from last season. However, a large increase in Mandarin exports — from 30,096 tons to 43,338 tons is forecast. In total, the entire easy-peeler category is expected to grow by nearly 19 percent.
Mandarin exports to the US are showing strong growth — 44 percent — with heaviest volume arriving from mid-August through early November.
Chile exports citrus to the US from May through October; Clementines from May through August.
Late Mandarins from Chile are available from August through October.
The first conventional vessel of citrus from South Africa arrived at the port of Philadelphia on June 15 with about 3,800 pallets of easy peelers and Navel oranges Two additional vessels were scheduled to arrive by June 25 and July 6.
The detailed shipping plan from South Africa has conventional vessels arriving through October about every 10-12 days, based on market demand.
Container vessels with smaller volumes will arrive between to assure a steady supply of citrus.