Posts Tagged “feature”
In its initial forecast for the 2021 season, the Chilean Citrus Committee of ASOEX estimates a six percent increase in citrus exports, encompassing navels, lemons, and easy peelers (clementines and mandarins). With a total citrus forecast of 387,000 tons, Chile expects to ship roughly 85 percent of all volume to the U.S. market.
As in previous seasons, growth will continue to be driven by the easy peeler category, with a projected seven percent increase for clementines (rising to 55,000 tons) and an 11 percent increase for mandarins (up to 145,000 tons). This estimated double-digit growth for mandarins in 2021 follows an incredible 40% volume jump in 2020.
Lemons (of which an estimated 60% will be shipped to the U.S.) are expected to see a three percent increase, while navel volume will stay relatively the same, at around 89,000 tons.
According to the Committee, the overall increase in volume is due primarily to the expansion of plantings over the past decade as there are 55,105 acres of citrus in Chile.
Clementine shipments started during the week of April 12th, while lemons will commence around the week of May 3rd.
By Idaho Potato Commission
Eagle, Idaho — On any given Sunday (or Monday, or Thursday), Taysom Hill the most versatile professional football player in the league could be playing quarterback, fullback, tight end, receiver, kickoff returner or punt blocker…jumping in wherever his team needs him. Coincidentally, the Idaho native has a lot in common with his home state’s most popular food…you guessed it…the potato, the most versatile vegetable in the produce aisle.
Taysom filmed five short, humorous videos promoting Idaho® potatoes. The 30-second spots launched on December 20th and ran through February 7th on streaming platforms Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, Fire TV Stick, YouTube and programmatic sports sites like CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated. The vignettes were also posted on the IPC’s Facebook and Instagram pages. This was the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) first consumer digital ad campaign, and it reached close to 2.9 million people.
“Taysom’s ability on the field (he can play an impressive 10 different positions), his wholesome Idaho upbringing and his exceptional athleticism, make him an ideal spokesperson for the Idaho® potato brand,” said Frank Muir, President and CEO, IPC. “The five digital spots we created humorously showcase the versatility of two all-American favorites — Taysom Hill and Idaho® potatoes.”
Taysom is from Pocatello, ID, played college ball at Brigham Young University. He was undrafted, but spent the 2017 season with the Green Packers and has been with the New Orleans Saints since.
Jameis Winston (2) and Taysom Hill (7) are expected to be competing for quarterback this season with the retirement of Drew Brees.
The Peruvian Asparagus Importers Association (PAIA) reports a 3% increase in volume year-over-year for 2020 imports. According to the USDA’s Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service statistics, Peruvian asparagus imports have grown to over 206 million pounds in 2020. Peru is ranked as one of the top 5 countries that make up the majority contribution of fresh asparagus consumption in the United States for 2020.
| Fresh Asparagus 2020 Import Landscape (Top 5) | ||
| Country | Quantity (lbs) | YOY Variance |
| Mexico | 375,302,609 | 3% |
| Peru | 206,479,443 | 3% |
| Canada | 2,840,876 | -38% |
| Ecuador | 1,126,121 | 125% |
| China | 143,520 | — |
| Import Total | 586,020,439 | 2% |
As a primary supplier to the United States, fresh asparagus is supplied to U.S. markets on a year-round basis.
Alpine Fresh, Doral, FL reports Peruvian late spring and into summer supplies look to be exceptional there should be steady supplies of fresh asparagus throughout 2021.
USDA, Foreign Agriculture Service also reports import totals for fresh asparagus have increased by 2% in 2020. USDA statistics report a consistent incline since 2017:
USDA / Foreign Agricultural Service / Quantity
| Pounds | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Import Totals | 502,407,040 | 567,969,057 | 572,026,817 | 586,020,439 |
| Peru | 173,961,914 | 199,766,146 | 201,208,851 | 206,479,443 |
According to USDA Foreign Agriculture Service, values also have a reported increase for Peruvian imports.
USDA / Foreign Agricultural Service / Value
| In Thousands $ | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Peru | $239,105 | $252,573 | $261,395 |
Crystal Valley Valley Foods of Miami, FL reports Peruvian asparagus represents more than 40% of all asparagus import values by the U.S. Peru has had a 30 year trade partnership with the United States, with both countries benefiting from exports and imports. Peru continues to expand its agricultural product offerings.
Spring has sprung and with it has arrived a diverse set of apples and pears to transition the domestic to the imported crop.
The freshly harvested mix from the Southern Hemisphere is being made available coast to coast.
All offerings arriving from either New Zealand, Chile or Argentina, favorites like Royal Gala, Fuji, Braeburn, Granny Smith, Ambrosia, Smitten™ and Pink Lady® along with club varieties like Envy™, JAZZ™ and Pacific Rose™ round out Oppy’s apple basket. Its familiar pear assortment of Bosc, Bartlett, D’Anjou and Abate Fetel varieties also includes a strong organic program specifically from Argentina and Chile. Seeing increased demand for bagged pears, Oppy imports in bulk and bags at the source.
Envy™ and JAZZ™ apples hold top-10 category with volume.
And, with the heightened demand for organic apples evident in their double-digit year-on-year growth to a 16% share of total category sales and 12% share of pounds, organic Envy™ and JAZZ™ volume is set to increase in the years ahead.
Packaged apple sales also skyrocketed in 2020, now representing 45% of category pounds.
HOLLISTER, CA — Blueberry demand remains strong with American consumers, and Berry People, a year-round, full-line shipper of branded organic and conventional strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, has promotable volumes of high-quality fruit available.
“South American supply delays caused by weather, port clearance and unloading delays caused by COVID-19 are behind us, and we now have steady volumes of great quality conventional and organic blueberries from our Mexican growers,” said Jerald Downs, President of Berry People. “Our growers in California report a fruit set that looks promising for harvest towards the end of April; we anticipate a steady transition from Mexican to Californian production over the next 60 days.”
Berry People’s unique approach to grower relationships has helped fuel their triple-digit growth over the past three years. “We bring a long-term perspective and a commitment to delicate bonds of trust to our grower relationships, and we strive to be true partners, with a holistic approach towards improving grower and Berry People operations from top to bottom,” Downs continued. “As a result, our business has grown organically through existing growers’ increasing referrals to their families, neighbors and friends. We are thankful for this organic, yet substantial, year-over-year growth, which has risen in tandem with our retailer and consumer demands.”
Berry People anticipates a robust spring and summer blueberry season in 2021, with a broader and more diversified base of growers and acreage from California and the Pacific Northwest, allowing us to handle the June through September transition with continuity, quality, and volume.
About Berry People:
Berry People is a year-round, full-line shipper of branded organic and conventional strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and owner of the Berry People brand. Headquartered in Hollister, California, the company’s ownership and key alliance partners hold important production assets in California, Mexico, Chile and Peru.
The Boston Market Terminal’s docks, platforms, bays and aisles are now hollowed out after more than half a century filled with fresh fruit and vegetables.
Yellow construction trucks, rather than white reefer trucks, are tearing up gravel outside.
Changes are coming.
The Davis Cos., a national real estate developer, bought the place, 90% of which was owned by the Piazza family, Condakes family and DiMare family, and 10% by minority stockholders.
Produce wholesaler Community-Suffolk Inc. was the last to uproot from their 30,000 square feet of operating space at the Everett, MA complex in early 2021.
Their fourth-generation family company was also one of the first to plant themselves at the 110,000-square-foot rail and truck terminal on almost 18 acres of land abutting the New England Produce Center in Chelsea, both just outside Boston.
Since the developer’s $28.5 million purchase, announced December 2019, the terminal’s six wholesalers and other businesses and organizations have closed for good or scattered to other facilities nearby.
The property may be redeveloped into an Amazon distribution center.
For now, the warehouses are devoid of the hum of daily wholesale produce business.
American Fruit Distributors went out of business.
Community-Suffolk’s citrus operations are at the New England Produce Center and its vegetable operations are at 95 Market St., Chelsea, which is only 500 feet from the front gate of the market terminal.
New England Banana Co. merged its ripening and wholesale operations in an offsite warehouse it already owned.
James Praski, Massachusetts officer-in-charge for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crops Market News, said terminal business was fading over the past several years as retail chains built their own warehouses and hired their own buyers to deal directly with distributors, growers and shippers. In reaction, terminal markets such as the Boston market shifted toward more foodservice business.
January 2021 data for global air cargo markets shows demand returned to pre-Covid or January 2019 levels for the first time since the beginning of the crisis, according to The International Air Transport Association.
January demand also revealed strong month-to-month growth over December 2020 levels.
All comparisons made in this news release are between January 2019, which followed a normal demand pattern, and 2021 due to distorted monthly results throughout 2020.
To start, global demand, measured in cargo ton-kilometers (CTK), was up 1.1 percent compared to January 2019 and increased 3 percent in comparison to December 2020.
All regions saw month-to-month improvement in air cargo demand, and North America with 27.4 percent of world share and Africa with 2.1 percent were the strongest performers at an 11.7 percent increase and 21.2 percent, respectively.
Due to new capacity cuts on the passenger side, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), the recovery in global capacity shrank 19.5 percent and fell 5 percent compared to December 2020, the first monthly decline since April 2020.
North America saw a decrease of 6.8 percent, Europe a 19.9 percent drop and Latin America a 30.7 percent drop in ACTK.
Conditions in the manufacturing sector remain robust despite new Covid-19 outbreaks that dragged down passenger demand.
The global manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) was at 53.5 in January, indicating growth from the prior month.
The new export orders component of the manufacturing PMI continued to point to further CTK improvement, though the performance of the metric was less robust compared with fourth-quarter 2020 as Covid-19 cases rose.
“Air cargo traffic is back to pre-crisis levels and that is some much-needed good news for the global economy. But while there is a strong demand to ship goods, our ability is capped by the shortage of belly capacity normally provided by passenger aircraft,” Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO said.
“That should be a sign to governments that they need to share their plans for a restart so that the industry has clarity in terms of how soon more capacity can be brought online. In normal times, a third of world trade by value moves by air.”
“This high-value commerce is vital to helping restore COVID damaged economies—not to mention the critical role air cargo is playing in distributing lifesaving vaccines that must continue for the foreseeable future,” de Juniac said.
January Regional Performance
North American, Middle Eastern and African carriers posted increases in international cargo demand in January compared to the same month in 2019 with 8.5 percent, 6.0 percent and 22.4 percent, respectively.
Asia-Pacific, European and Latin American carriers reported declines of 3.2 percent, 0.6 percent and 16.1 percent, respectively.
International capacity decreased throughout all six regions compared to numbers from January 2019.
2021 is shaping up to be a big for California strawberries, with total
strawberry acreage for pegged at 36,487 acres.
The California Strawberry Commission’s acreage survey, released in December, shows acreage planted in the fall, which produces fruit during the traditional winter, spring and summer seasons, reported at 28,407 acres, up 5.7% compared to a year ago.
The Salinas-Watsonville district accounts for 43% of the state’s winter/spring/summer acreage, compared with 36% for Santa Maria, 20% for Oxnard and just 1% for Orange County/San Diego/Coachella.
California strawberry shipments are expected to peak in early May, with the state’s shippers projected to ship 10 million or more trays in a week.
While 10 million trays per week are seen for early May, the commission expects 9 to 10 million trays weekly for several weeks.
About 15% of California’s strawberry output is exported.
Total California organic strawberry acreage reported for 2021 is 4,684 acres, which is about 12.8% of total state acreage. Organic output reached a record in 2020, and acreage for 2021 is about the same as a year ago.
California strawberry acreage planted in the summer of 2021, which will produce during the fall season, is projected at 8,080 acres, according to the report. All of the summer planted acreage is in Oxnard and Santa Maria.
High prices for ginger in the domestic market is a key factor in The United States being the world’s largest importer of product, as well as due to the beneficial properties against COVID-19.
About 89 percent of ginger imports by the U.S. are conventional, while showing a steady growth at an average annual rate of 8.3 percent. In 2019 Agraria reported there was 78,505 tons of ginger imported.
From January to August 2020, the U.S. imported 63,392 tons of ginger, reflecting a 17 percent increase when compared to the same time period in 2019 (54,100 tons).
China is the leading supplier of ginger to the U.S. with an average share of 77 percent of all imports. However, their share has been declining from 83 percent in 2013 to 76 percent in 2019 (59,555 tons) and 69 percent between January-August 2020 (43,729 tons).
Brazil has taken over this share, with their exports to the U.S. growing at a 19 percent annual average rate. It doubled its supply to the United States in 2018, over 2017, from 3,158 tons to 6,488 tons.
In 2019, it increased its volume by 23 percent, exporting 7,957 tons, surpassing ginger suppliers such as Peru and Costa Rica, while at the same time increasing their share to 10 percent of the total imported. It increased 12 percent from January-August 2020.
Peru is the third-largest supplier of ginger to the U.S., with an average annual growth rate of 15.1 percent. Its peak was achieved in 2017 with 5,414 tons.
Since then, its exports declined the next two years, reaching the lowest level in 2019 with 2,831 tons. From January-August 2020 it surpassed 3,880 tons, exporting more to the U.S. than all of 2019, reflecting a 37 percent growth.
Organic ginger
The U.S. has begun to import organic ginger in low volumes, for now, due to its limited supply. These imports account for 11 percent of ginger imports.
From January-August that share increased to 12 percent, accounting for 8,404 tons, which is 85 percent more than the 4,500 tons imported during the same period in 2019.
While the previous main supplier of organic ginger to the U.S. was China, accounting for more than 80 percent of all imports in the previous years, from January-August 2020 their share fell to only 4.7 percent.
Peru was then the main supplier, accounting for an 86.5 percent from January-August 2020 with 7,267 tons, while in 2019 they exported 5,682 tons.
A majority watermelons being shipped to U.S. markets are coming from northern Mexico, with additional imports coming primarily from Honduras and Guatemala.
The first domestic shipments of the year got underway in recent days from the Immokalee area of southern Florida with light, but increasing volume.
As the season progresses production will move northward. Central Florida should start around the last half of late April. West Florida may get underway by the middle of May, with Georgia following in June.
Texas had some cold weather several weeks ago and shipments may start a little later than usual, with loadings beginning around May 10.
In California, the early production areas in the Coachella and Imperial valleys should also start about May 10.
Although most states produce watermelons commercially, Florida, Georgia, Texas and California account for nearly 80 percent of domestic production according to the USDA Economic Research Service.
Domestic production has remained fairly steady, and imports have increased in recent years as watermelon consumption continues to rise. Mexico accounts for about 80 percent of imports, with Honduras and Guatemala making up most of the balance.