Posts Tagged “feature”
Peru’s mango export volumes are expected to be heavily affected by the ongoing drought in the country.
The Peruvian Association of Mango Producers and Exporters (APEM), reports Peru could export about 200,000 metric tons (MT) of mangoes in the 2020-21 shipping season, which will begin in November. This volume would be much lower than the record 234,000MT exported in the previous year, and cannot be completely explained by having high volume one season and lower volume the next.
There are other other variables in the forecast such as drought. The reservoirs are reaching historical minimum levels, with a lack of rain on the Peruvian coast, especially on the north coast, that could affect all the crops on the coast, including mangoes.
Mango plants needed to be constantly watered at this stage of their growth so that the fruit reaches the size the market requires. There also was a La Niña phenomenon in development, reducing rain falls.
The San Lorenzo reservoir, which is currently at half its capacity, stores the water to irrigate all the crops installed in the San Lorenzo Valley (Piura), which is the main mango producing area.
The harvest is over in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota and shippers are expected make a big rebound from a disastrous season a year ago thanks primarily to too much rain.
The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association of East Grand Forks, MN estimates 30 percent of the association members’ crops were lost, and some individual growers lost nearly their entire acreage. This year is expected to be totally different.
A & L Potato Co. of East Grand Forks expects to be at full capacity for the first time in years. Last year, the company, lost 95 percent of its red and yellow potatoes.
Nokota Packers Inc. of Buxton, N.D., started digging potatoes the week of Sept. 14, with ideal digging conditions. The company has finished it red potato harvest a couple of weeks ago.
Lone Wolf Farms of Minto, N.D., reports similar conditions and started shipping in mid-October.
Folson Farms Corp. of East Grand Forks, ships red and yellow potatoes and had some digging delays due to dry conditions.
J.G. Hall & Sons, Edinburg, N.D., along with O.C. Schulz & Sons Inc., Crystal, N.D., will started shipping potatoes out of storage from H & S FreshPak Inc., Hoople, N.D., in October. Hall & Sons is just now start to ship its own potatoes.
Growers have been shipping about 80 percent of their potatoes to retail stores and 20 percent to foodservice. Foodservice business has been hit much harder by COVID-19.
Up to $1 million for a solution to the 50,000 tons of pomegranate husks is being offered by The Wonderful Co. of Los Angeles. Each year this amount of husks are for the production of Pom Wonderful juice.
ReFED, a nonprofit working to end food loss and waste, is an advisor and managing partner for the challenge, according to a news release.
Dubbed the Wonderful Innovation Challenge, the program offers up to $1 million in funding and development resources for environmentally friendly solutions to the rind, pith and seeds left from the juicing process.
“The Wonderful Innovation Challenge was born out of our mission to continually push the boundaries of sustainability by embracing bold, innovative ideas,” Steve Swartz, vice president of strategy at The Wonderful Co., said in the release. “This competition will provide a select group of winners the resources they need to grow their business, make a positive impact, and help us fulfill our environmental mission.”
Registration is open through Dec. 7 to apply for the program, which has four review stages:
“The Wonderful Innovation Challenge was born out of our mission to continually push the boundaries of sustainability by embracing bold, innovative ideas,” Steve Swartz, vice president of strategy at The Wonderful Co., said in the release. “This competition will provide a select group of winners the resources they need to grow their business, make a positive impact, and help us fulfill our environmental mission.”
Registration is open through Dec. 7 to apply for the program, which has four review stages:
- Submission of a short application with a proposal;
- Qualified applicants will submit a detailed plan;
- Semi-finalists will participate in a virtual interview; and
- Finalists will pitch their solutions virtually to judges.
The finalist will compete for the $1 million award pool and request the amount needed for their proposal, according to the news release.
The competition will generate ideas for the company to help it solve other sustainability issues, according to the release.
“Innovation can play a critical role in driving efficiency and value, as well as in addressing environmental challenges,” Alexandria Coari, director of capital and innovation at ReFED, said in the release. “The Wonderful Innovation Challenge is a call for inventive solutions that can create value from this byproduct.”
The Wonderful Co. has invested more than $1 billion in environmental sustainability and climate change projects, including $400 million in water-efficient irrigation, cutting energy use and $60 million in solar energy projects.
A year ago, The Wonderful Co. owners Stewart and Lynda Resnick pledged $750 million to Caltech to support its environmental sustainability research.
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Mexican tomato exports to the U.S. in 2020-21 are expected to increase 2 percent compared with 2019-20 levels, according to the USDA.
Mexico tomato exports tomatoes have increased from $406 million in 1995 to $2 billion in 2019, and the U.S. accounts for 99.7 percent of all Mexican exports. Mexico’s tomato planted area from October 2019 to March 2021 is forecast at 114,928 acres, 3 percent higher than the previous year.
The USDA annual report on Mexican tomatoes forecasts exports to the U.S. from October to September 2021 will total 1.87 million metric tons, 2 percent above the previous year.
Since Mexican tomatoes are produced in a fall/winter cycle and a spring/summer cycle, the USDA measures the agricultural production year over 18 months to capture all growing areas.
Mexican tomato production for agricultural year 2020 (October 2019 to March 2021) is forecast at 3.33 million metric tons according to Mexico’s Agrifood and Fisheries Information System. That is 3 percent lower than the previous agricultural year because of volatile weather in Sinaloa during the fall and winter cycle and acreage reductions.
The forecast for agricultural year 2021 (October 2020 to March 2022) is 3.47 million metric tons.
Fewer table grapes remain in storage in California than at the same time during the previous two seasons, according to a USDA report.
There were 9.3 million boxes in storage as of Sepember 30, according to the Western Fruit Report Grape Cold Storage Summary. This compares with 10.4 million boxes on the same date last year, and 12.9 million boxes in 2018.
The Scarlet Royal variety had the highest number of grapes in storage with 2.2 million boxes – 50 percent of the 2018 figure and 1 million below 2019. The next biggest variety was Autumn King. But unlike Scarlet Royal, the storage numbers of this variety on September 30 have been showing an upward trend over the last three years, with 1.7 million boxes this year compared with 1 million in 2018.
The next two largest varietal categories – ‘other white’ and ‘other red’ – have both seen downward trends over the last three years, now registering 1.5 and 1.4 million boxes respectively. Alison and Red Globe have also been declining, while Sweet Globe has been rising.
By Washington Apple Commission
WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON – Washington state, the nation’s leading producer of apples, is expecting a smaller crop yield this year. Washington produces 65 percent of the fresh apples grown in the U.S., and as growers are reaching the midway point of harvest, they are observing an approximately 10 percent lighter crop load on the trees than the original estimate released in August.
The first forecast released by the Washington State Tree Fruit Association on August 1st, predicted a 134 million box (40 lb.) crop based on grower estimates. Apple harvest begins in August and ends in early November. Currently, growers and orchard crews are about 70 percent through picking.
At the October 8th Washington Apple Commission Board of Directors virtual meeting, industry members discussed the progress of the crop and contributing factors to the lower volume; alternate bearing season lightening the number of apples per tree, a recent windstorm, and more selective sort-picking happening in the orchard as growers work to improve pack outs in the warehouse.
“It is the growing consensus that the 2020 apple crop will be lower than earlier published estimates. This can be attributed to both a reduction in the quantity of bulk bins harvested, as well as lower conversion yields to packed boxes,” says James Foreman, Chairman for the Washington Apple Commission Board of Directors.
Sizing appears to be smaller this year compared to last season as well, but it is region dependent. Washington’s growing regions spread along the state’s major river from the bottom of the state to the north Canadian border.
The apple category is experiencing an uptick in demand due to COVID-19 bringing health and nutrition to the forefront in the minds of consumers, and as result, an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption.
The 1,260 apple growers in the state produce eight core varieties: Gala, Red Delicious, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Cripps Pink, Golden Delicious and Cosmic Crisp®. Over 50 other ‘club’ or proprietary varieties are also grown in Washington. In addition to being the top producer of apples in the country, Washington represents 85% of all U.S. organic apple production. Apples are the number one produced commodity in Washington and have a $3 billion state economic impact.
The Washington Apple Commission is a non-profit, promotional organization dedicated to marketing and advertising fresh Washington apples internationally. For more information on the Washington Apple Commission, visit www.bestapples.com.
Southern hemisphere citrus exports have risen by more than 25 percent over the past 10 years, with the European market and the easy peeler category driving much of the growth, according to data from the World Citrus Organization (WCO).
Shipments from the region including South Africa, Peru, Chile, and Argentina – rose 27 percent from 2.6 million metric tons (MT) in 2010 to 3.3 million MT in 2019, with the majority of the growth coming after 2014. The region with the highest share of southern hemisphere citrus imports is the European Union with 34 percent. Next is Asia with 24 percent, North America with 18 percent, the Middle East with 13 percent and Eastern Europe with 7 percent.
The easy peeler category has been responsible for most of the growth. In 2008 there was a volume of 342,000MT of mandarins and tangelos traded worldwide from the southern hemisphere. In 2014 this figure increased slightly to 465,000MT.
However, to 2019 there was an increase to more than 739,000MT, representing 16 percent of southern hemisphere citrus exports. On average in this category there has been a 10 percent growth per year for the last five years.
North America imports the largest volumes of easy peelers from the southern hemisphere, with a total of 39 percent in 2019. Of this total, Chile is the leading exporter to this market with almost 150,000MT. In second place comes Peru with approximately 70,000MT, followed by South Africa, Uruguay and Argentina.
In second place as an importer is the European Union with 27 percent, which is over 200,000MT. In this case, South Africa is in the leading exporter, with a total of almost 150,000MT of the total exported. Peru is followed with a total of approximately 50,000MT.
In third position as an importer is Asia with 18 percent, representing almost 150,000MT, with Australia as the leading exporting country with almost 70,000MT. South Africa follows with 50,000MT, and in last place with 10,000MT each are Peru and Argentina.
Average yields and volume for 2020 is seen by the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Calhoun County.
About a third of the state’s crop is planted there. For the last five years, the state’s total sweet potato acreage has ranged from 27,000 and 30,000 acres.
About 9,000 to 10,000 acres of that total are located in Calhoun County.
This year’s Mississippi sweet potato harvest go underway in September an initial reports from the field indicate an average yield for 2020.
Roughly one-fifth of this year’s planting had been harvested as of September 21, according to a report from the USDA. At that time 64 percent was graded in fair condition, with 26 percent rated good.
A busy Texas port of entry has begun on a $40 million consruction project to cut wait times for produce and other agricultural goods.
Thirteen of 24 new secondary inspection bays at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge will include cold storage unit equipment to ensure inspections don’t harm produce shipments.
“With the continued increase of imports from Mexico, especially produce-related commodities, that require an inspection from our agriculture specialists, having these additional dock spaces will have a significant positive impact on our ability to expedite the processing time and get shipments on their way into U.S. commerce,” Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas director, said in a news release.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, General Services Administration and City of Pharr, Texas, formed a partnership that allows the city to donate to the project.
“The additional cold storage bays will also serve proactively in maintaining the integrity of certain products while they are inspected in climate-controlled areas, rather than exposing them to the South Texas heat,” Rodriguez said.
A 10,000-square-foot inspection and training facility will enhance the Custom and Border Protection’s agricultural specialist ability to detect pests, diseases and related testing on agricultural products.
The port processed nearly 1,800 commercial trucks transporting an average of more than $13 million worth of agricultural products each day in fiscal year 2019, which is nearly 15 percent of all fresh produce imported into the U.S.
“The City of Pharr remains committed to working with our federal partners to identify and implement innovative methods to expedite traffic and trade at our international port of entry, making border crossings and inspections function more effectively while helping our trade partners process and cross their goods more efficiently,” Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez said.
With the Chilean blueberry season just starting, the industry is expecting to continue diversifying its markets and offer a higher proportion of newer and improved varieties.
The U.S. continues to be the main destination market, with 50 percent of exports.
The Chilean Blueberry Committee is reporting stable export volumes for the 2020-21 season. Chile in recent years has been diversifying its export markets with the biggest growths occurring in Asia and Europe.
During the past season shipments to Asia increased by 20 percent and to Europe by 8 percent. On the other hand, shipments to the U.S. – Chile’s leading blueberry market – decreased in the last two seasons, 1 percent last season and 9 percent the one before that.
For this 2020-21 season, the Blueberry Committee projects exports of approximately 154,000 metric tons (MT) of fresh and frozen blueberries. The estimate for fresh blueberries is a little over 111,000 MT – very similar to the volumes of the last two seasons, representing a 2 percent increase over last season.