Posts Tagged “feature”
A recent desert freeze in California and Arizona is the most serious thus far this winter. Damage to lettuce needs to be closely watched by haulers to help reduce chances of claims at destination.
In a press release, Markhon Cooperative of Salinas, CA recently assessed the current situation.
• Widespread, moderate-to-heavy lettuce ice is expected throughout this entire week in all Arizona and California desert growing areas
• Harvesting delays of three to four hours are being reported; loading delays can also be expected
• This significant freeze event will have lasting effects on the quality of many desert row crop items
• Lettuces and tender leaf items are the most susceptible to freeze-related quality and shelf-life challenges
• Apart from quality, plant growth will also be affected as ground temperatures decrease this week
• Markon inspectors are monitoring conditions and will update further as needed
The recent California wildfires have left a haunting mark on our communities and hearts. At the Allen Lund Company, headquartered in La Cañada Flintridge, our employees experienced this devastation firsthand. Between the Palisades and Eaton fires, many of our team members (and family and friends) faced mandatory evacuations as the fires blazed through the surrounding cities, threatening homes, beloved restaurants, and landmarks that have long been central to our lives. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to ash, and the impact is felt in every corner of our community. Families are displaced, cherished memories lost, and the collective sense of security is shaken.
Yet, amid the destruction, we’ve witnessed incredible resilience and humanity. Neighbors helping neighbors, first responders risking everything to save lives, and countless acts of kindness remind us of the strength within our community. The transportation and logistics industry plays a critical role in ensuring resources like food, water, and building materials reach those in need. Together, we are not just moving freight but helping rebuild lives.
As we look to the future, we focus on coming together to heal and rebuild. The fires may have destroyed physical structures, but they cannot extinguish the spirit of our community. At the Allen Lund Company, we are committed to supporting our neighbors, customers, and team members as we navigate this recovery together. Whether through donations or simply showing up for one another, we know that unity is the foundation for rebuilding stronger than ever.
Over 150,000 tons of avocados will be shipped from 
Michoacán to the United States for the 59th edition of the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, according to the head of Mexico’s Secretariat of Economic Development (Sedeco), Claudio Méndez Fernández.
El Sol de Zamora informs that production corresponds to that harvested in the municipalities of Acuitzio, Tacámbaro, Peribán, Tancítaro, and Uruapan.
The Super Bowl is one of the main events for the avocado industry in the U.S., along with Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
“Demand is growing year by year. The Super Bowl is when avocados are sold the most in the United States. The second date is May 5th, because it has become part of the gastronomy and diet of the citizens,” Méndez said.
Last year, around 54 million avocados were consumed on Super Bowl Sunday alone, making them one of the favorite foods of American football fans.
“Consumer consumption for avocados that are used to make guacamole significantly increases during Super Bowl Sunday,” according to the USDA. “Regarding increased sales, avocados are the real Super Bowl champion.”
FreightWaves reports more than 90% of avocado imports from Mexico enter the U.S. through Texas ports of entry in Laredo and Pharr.
Between January and November of last year, Peruvian fresh blueberry exports set a new record.
Agraria reports for the first time, an agricultural product has surpassed the $2 billion mark in exports. Those exports totaled $2.1 billion in the first eleven months of 2024. This far surpassed the $1.72 billion reached during all of 2023. This signaled a return to the normal trend in the production of “blues” after weather related problems of the previous year.
This year, with stabilized production, the higher prices recorded after the 2023 shortage showed a downward trend, reaching levels closer to 2022.
In November 2024 alone, Peruvian fresh blueberry exports totaled 80,311 tons for $387 million, reflecting an increase of 106 percent in volume and 18 percent in value compared to what was reported in the same month of the previous year, although with a 43 percent drop in the average price, which stood at $4.82 per kilogram.
The Peruvian product reached 31 countries in November, of which the U.S. continued to be the main destination, with 41,269 tons exported for $190 million. This represented 49 percent of the monthly total with a 75 percent increase in volume, but a 10 percent drop in value compared to November 2023, when shipments reached $210 million.
The average price suffered a decrease of 48 percent, going from $8.92 in 2023 to $4.61 this year.
Among the main exporters to this market were Camposol S.A., with a 12 percent share, and Agrovisión Perú S.A.C., with 11 percent. In 2023, the leaders were Agrícola Cerro Prieto S.A. (13 percent) and Hortifrut – Perú S.A.C. (12 percent).
As for shipments, these were mostly sent by sea, where 41 percent of what was exported in November was through Euroandino Port Terminals, followed by DP World (28 percent), APM Terminals (25 percent) and the General San Martín Paracas Port Terminal (5 percent).
The remaining 1 percent was sent through Jorge Chávez International Airport.
The industry will experience a 25-30% avocado shortage through January. USDA inspections were curtailed over the last two holiday weeks; inclement weather has also caused trucking delays. Expect extremely limited supplies and increased prices for the next two weeks, according to a press release by Markhon Cooperative of Salinas, CA.
Mexico
- All sizes are extremely tight
- Size and grade substitutions may be requested to fill orders
- Quality is good; checkerboarding (uneven ripening within a case) has been reported
- Expect elevated markets and tight supplies through the next two weeks
Colombia
- Imports will ship into the East Coast through May; these supplies only account for 5% of U.S. demand
- The crop is currently dominated by small sizes (60- to 84-count fruit)
- Quality is comparable to that in Mexico; texture is creamy and oil content is high
California
- Regular inspection schedules will resume in mid-January
- New crop production will start in late January
- Once this season begins, supplies will help fill the void from Mexico-grown product
Caution is urged loading melons from Central America, which is arriving at various U.S. port, as well a crossing the border at Nogales, AZ.
Markon Cooperative of Salinas, CA in a press release reports Central American melon supplies are extremely limited following the effects of Tropical Storm Sara. Markets are elevated; demand exceeds supply and quality issues abound.
Cantaloupe
Central American
- Offshore shipments of Central American cantaloupes are arriving by vessel into domestic ports; volume is extremely limited
- Quality issues are arising from flooding brought by Tropical Storm Sara; yields are lower in Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica
- Projections for upcoming lots are minimal
- Markon recommends increased order lead time to maximize coverage over the next three to four weeks; size substitutions may be recommended
- Expect elevated markets and light supply through early January
Honeydew
Central American/Mexican
- Mexican volume is light crossing into Nogales, Arizona as growers finish their season in Northern Mexico; light volume will continue to ship from Southern Mexico through February
- Offshore/Central American honeydews are arriving by vessel into domestic ports; volume is extremely limited
- Quality issues are arising from flooding brought by Tropical Storm Sara, resulting in lower yields in Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica
- Projections for upcoming lots are minimal
- Markon recommends increased order lead time to maximize coverage over the next three to four weeks; size substitutions may be recommended
- Expect limited supplies and elevated markets through early January
he California Walnut Commission says walnuts now meet the updated definition for a healthy food, according to the Food and Drug Administration’s updated definition for foods that can be identified or labeled as healthy.
The commission called the move a significant step toward ensuring food labeling is consistent with the most up-to-date nutrition scientific evidence and Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages consumers to choose nutrient-dense foods, such as walnuts. The commission said close to two-thirds of Americans do not meet the recommended intake for nuts and seeds.
“The inclusion of walnuts in the new ‘healthy’ definition affirms consumers’ belief that walnuts are a healthy food. It also aligns with decades of nutrition research reinforcing the important contributions walnuts can make in a healthy lifestyle,” California Walnut Commission CEO Robert Verloop said in a news release. “It’s simple. Just adding walnuts to Americans’ daily diet can potentially have wide-ranging positive impacts.”
Substituting walnuts for food choices higher in saturated fats can help support Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations to replace consumption of saturated fats with unsaturated fats, the commission said.
The total fat in walnuts (18 grams) is mostly composed of polyunsaturated fats (13 grams per ounce), including omega-3 ALA (2.5 grams per ounce), an essential fatty acid with the potential to support heart health and cognition, according to the release. Walnuts are the only tree nut to provide an excellent source of omega-3 ALA.
“In my 20-plus years of practicing nutrition at a major medical institution, I have seen trends go in and out for what the public considers healthy,” said Kristin Kirkpatrick, registered dietitian nutritionist. “But what has always been foundational is the role plant-based foods like walnuts play in supporting health. Walnuts are one nut I find consistently meets the variable needs of patients in my practice. In practice, I focus on evidence-based approaches to reducing chronic disease risk, weight management, and improvements in metabolic health.”
Higher volume will hopefully translate into more loading opportunities for California strawberries.
Strawberry supply exceeds demand; falling prices are forecast through next week, according to Markhon
of Salinas, CA.
Santa Maria, California
- Growers will start harvesting the winter crop next week
- Size currently ranges from medium (20 to 24 berries per 1-pound clamshell)
- Quality is fair; color and appearance have improved
- Expect markets to remain low for another week
Oxnard, California
- MFC Strawberries are sporadic; packer label will be shipped as necessary
- Volume is decreasing
- Size currently ranges from medium to large (21 to 24 berries per 1-pound clamshell)
- Quality is good; color is deep red and flavor is sweet
- Prices will remain soft
Mexico (into South Texas)
- Volume has increased
- Size currently ranges from medium to large (18 to 24 berries per 1-pound clamshell)
- Quality is good; some white shoulders have been reported
- Expect increasing yields (crossing into San Juan, Texas)
- Markets will remain low for the next seven days
Florida
- Growers are shipping berries in a limited manner
- Cooler weather is forecast for next week
- Expect to see smaller fruit with some green tips due to low temperatures
- Quality will slowly improve week after week
- Prices will inch up
Exports of Chilean avocados to all destinations will rise about 30% in the 2024-25 marketing year, the USDA reports.
In its annual report on Chilean avocados, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said due to favorable climatic conditions in the country, avocado production is expected to total 200,000 metric tons in the marketing year from July 2024 to June 2025, a 33.3% increase from the previous season.
The report forecasts Chilean avocado exports in the marketing year 2024-25 at 116,000 metric tons, a 29.8% jump compared with 2023-24.
Chile harvests avocados year-round, but peak export months are typically October and November.
Chile’s avocado area planted in 2024-25 will top 81,000 acres in 2024-25, a 1% gain from 2023-24, according to the USDA. The planted area spans from the Coquimbo region in the northern part of Chile to the O’Higgins region in the central-south part of the country, the report said.
Hass is the main avocado variety produced in Chile, however, hass is sensitive to frost and excessive soil humidity, which limits its cultivation to hillsides and well-drained soils, the report said. Other avocado varieties produced in Chile in smaller quantities include edranol, negra de la cruz, fuerte and bacon.
In 2023-24, Chile’s top export market for avocado was the Netherlands, followed by Spain and the United Kingdom. Buying 4,800 metric tons, the U.S. ranked eighth as a market for Chilean avocados in 2023-24, the report said.
So far in the 2024-25 marketing year, the USDA Market News Service reports that U.S. imports of Chilean avocados topped 5,290 metric tons through early December, up 19% from the same time a year ago.
Peru became the third-largest exporter of Brazil nuts—also known as Amazon nuts—last year, following Bolivia and Germany, according to the Global Economy and Business Research Center of the Exporters Association (CIEN-ADEX).
Peruvian shipments totaled $30 million in 2023, accounting for 12.4% of the global total, despite a 17.8% drop in demand. Bolivia ranked first with a 47.5% share of shipments ($115.4 million), while Germany, acting as a re-exporting country, took second place with 14.8% ($36 million).
The CIEN-ADEX commercial report indicated the global Brazil nut market shrank by 28.8% in 2023, with a total value of $229 million.
Germany solidified its position as the world’s largest importer, accounting for 17.2% of all imports ($39.5 million), followed by the United States ($37.7 million) and the United Kingdom ($21.5 million).
Between 2019 and 2023, shipments decreased by an average of 3.2% due to excess stock in key destinations and changing consumption trends, which led to reduced demand and falling prices.
Claudia Solano Oré, manager of agroexports at the trade association, highlighted the recovery of Peru’s Brazil nut industry, noting that exports totaled $34.6 million between January and October 2024, reflecting a 29% increase compared to the same period in 2023 ($26.8 million).
“As of October, exports have already surpassed the total recorded for the entire previous year,” she added.
Solano also emphasized the importance of signing phytosanitary protocols by the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation to initiate exports of Brazil nuts and other products to China, a market expected to grow in importance with the opening of the Chancay mega-port.
The commodity reached 46 countries. South Korea led the ranking with $9.66 million, reflecting a 21.8% increase and accounting for 27.9% of the total. The United States followed with $7.78 million, a 23.5% rise, representing 22.5% of total exports.
The top ten destinations also included Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Turkey, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Greece. For the first time, exports were made to Belarus, Croatia, Uruguay, and Guatemala.