Posts Tagged “feature”
Mexico exported just over one million tons of avocado to the U.S. in 2020. With this, the combined annual commercial value totaled $3.1 billion dollars, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The federal agency reports the success of exported Mexican avocados has been based on its quality, safety measures and a larger area devoted to cultivation, with a total 248,456 hectares.
Along with this extensive growing area, the country’s sustainable practices and an efficient and effective use of water resources have allowed the industry to secure surplus volumes in order to set annual records in the international market.
Of total exports, 95% corresponded to fresh whole avocados, 4% to guacamole and 2% to pulp.
Data from the USDA shows from January to November last year, 82% of the total fresh avocado imported came from Mexico, with a value of $2.7 billion dollars.
According to data from the Servicio de Información Agroalimentaria y Pesquera (SIAP), in 2022 the sale of guacamole showed a year-on-year increase of 8%, going from 35,809 tons to 38,723 tons, while avocado pulp was marketed in quantities averaging 338 tons per week.
The origin of the fruit was exclusively from Michoacan fields certified by Mexican and U.S. health authorities.
However, in the second half of 2022, the USDA approved imports from Jalisco, expanding the scope of the Mexican industry in the U.S.
In the case of guacamole, which is a sauce that combines avocado pulp, garlic, onion, chile, tomato, lime juice and salt, 2,975 tons were destined for the U.S. market in the three weeks prior to the Super Bowl, while in the same period last year, pulp exports averaged 371 tons per week.
Between April and August, Mexican mango exports are at a peak, although the season starts in January and runs until September.
Emex Mexico, a leading association of Mexican mango exporters expects a 5% to 8% increase in volume for the current season compared to 2022.
New Exporters
At the end of last year, Colombia announced its first shipment of mangos to the U.S. market. Even though their volumes are low, they expect to increase exports in the seasons to come.
Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru are the main South American exporters of mango to the U.S. and they recorded a 24% increase in export volumes last year.
Colombia is currently exporting two varieties of mangoes, the sugar mango which is a small fruit marketed as “pocket-sized” which can be eaten with their skin, making it the ideal treat for kids or anytime snacking. This variety just recently entered the U.S. market.
The second variety, which made its U.S. debut in December 2022, is the fresh mango, with producers expecting to export 1,000 tons of the variety this year, hoping to become a strong supplier to one of the top consumer countries for this fruit.
Although there has been a slow start to the Culiacan production, volume is starting to kick in this month. Eggplant, cucumbers, colored bells and other vegetables will run strong before the traditional fade as the heat rolls in late April and May.
Sonoran vegetable production is underway in Guaymas for SunFed of Rio Rico, AZ but starting to wind down. The transition started a couple of weeks ago and SunFed fields to the north are going strong.
Quality of the product is reported good. The cold slowed growth up – particularly for the colored bells and eggplant – so harvest started a little later. Squash volume is good but even better with other vegetable and melon.
The production outlook for West Mexico is good. While unlikely, the greatest threat to production could be late-winter cold in Sonora.
Culiacan farms in mid-February, had temperatures colder than normal. Abnormally cool weather has slowed some of the production out of the Sinaloa area. Also impacting the Mexican vegetable season this winter has been excessive rain particularly to the north in the state of Sonora.
Despite the wet and cooler weather in Mexico, this year’s production and market prices have been much better than 2022. A year ago, growers had significant labor problems that impacted production while farms were also battling dramatic year over year cost increases in 2022. This all made for a very difficult first quarter last year. The outlook for the first and second quarters of 2023 looks better than 2022.
Depending on ripeness, bananas range in color from shades of almost hunter green flecked with whispers of yellow, all the way to deep canary yellow speckled with pinpricks of brown. Where a banana falls on this green-to-yellow range holds the key to where this banana will travel next on its circuitous journey from farm to produce aisle.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes a numbered color index that conveys quick-glance standardization to help produce buyers make decisions. Depending on whether the case of bananas in question looks like a No. 2 or a No. 5 will determine the exact amount of time the bananas will spend in a ripening room, benefiting from specific temperature controls and piped-in ethylene gas that helps ripening progress smoothly.
After close monitoring in the ripening room confirms that the fruit is the perfect golden yellow color, the fruit is transported to the store. At the store, the bananas are tucked into merchandising displays. Only now can the produce team sit back and wait to discover if the bananas pass the final, most difficult desirability test: Will the ripe fruit catch a shopper’s eye?
Significant weather factors played havoc with the transition of Salinas Valley vegetables to the deserts of California and Arizona several months ago. It is now time for that transition from the south to Salinas and weather conditions up north are going to result in a rocky return.
Shipping gaps and disruptions are already occurring and will continue until at least early on many vegetable items. The problems started when rains prevented plantings from occurring on time. This will adversely affect the size, weight and condition of the product at harvesting.
Caution is urged when loading Salinas vegetable and make sure your receiver knows what quality, size, etc. of product they will be receiving.
There will be delayed shipments of broccoli and cauliflower in the Salinas Valley because of the excessive cold temperatures in February.
Florida vegetables will be an attractive alternative to Salinas for receivers until Florida starts winding down in April and May.
Celery volume will be limited this spring.
Oxnard received a lot of rain, delaying plantings during the early part of the farming season. However, there are Huron loadings of Iceberg lettuce, which will assist more consistent production of Iceberg through the transition period from the desert to the Salinas Valley. There are very few shipping from Huron this spring. Many will not be making the transition from the desert to Salinas or Santa Maria without shipping gaps.
Packed with savory flavor and nutrients that many other types of produce don’t have, mushrooms are a tasty and healthy addition to all kinds of dishes and cuisines.
Dozens of varieties are available year-round because they’re grown indoors.
’Shrooms are the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle. A single portabella mushroom has more potassium than a medium-sized banana, and fungi are a leading source of selenium, an antioxidant that strengthens the body’s immune system and can help prevent heart disease.
Packaged fungi outperformed bulk mushrooms in dollar and volume sales, according to IRI data for the four weeks ending Nov. 6, 2022, with prepackaged options representing almost 96% of pounds sold. Eight-ounce packages were, by far, the biggest sellers. Cut or prepared mushrooms made up half of pound sales, reflecting shoppers’ desire for convenience.
ACCENTUATING THE POSITIVE
Fresh mushrooms have a lot going for them, from nutritional advantages to sustainability. The Mushroom Council highlights these fungi benefits:
- Families can stretch their grocery budgets by incorporating meaty-tasting mushrooms into recipes that call for ground beef — such as burgers and meatballs.
- Substituting mushrooms for meat can enhance weight loss and boost nutrition without leaving consumers hungry after a meal.
- Mushrooms rank high in sustainability. An environmental footprint assessment found that production of a pound of mushrooms requires less than 2 gallons of water, 1
Lyndonville, NY – Last year’s domestic apple crop is a tale of two seasons as weather conditions in major growing regions dictated significantly different results for orchards in the Northwest and Northeast.
The extreme heat in late summer and overall challenging weather conditions in Washington caused a significant 20% drop in volume to a 100 million case crop. This shortfall created supply challenges for retailers who typically rely heavily on fruit from the country’s largest apple growing region.
On the other side of the country, the New York apple crop reported a strong 32+ million bushel volume, with good sizing, high color and excellent flavor. Basically a rebound year from the previous harvest, the eastern region experienced near record volume with traditional varieties including Acey Mack, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady and Red Delicious.
United Apple has a network of 59 local growers with their managed club varieties: EverCrisp, Ruby Frost and SnapDragon.
EverCrisp is now in its fifth season with product projected to be available through May. SnapDragon is in season nine and had volume until late March. Ruby Frost in its ninth season will have product into June.
Imports
With Washington’s crop being down, United Apple has reached out to its Southern hemisphere import partners to support requested volumes for slicers and processors to build consistent volumes for national programs.
Here is the schedule for United Apple’s import arrivals:
Gala – late March through mid-July;
Grannies – mid-April through mid-August;
Fuji – mid-May through late August;
Pink Lady – mid-May through early September.
Colombia’s Sugar Mango Association is preparing for the first entry into the United States market, with arrivals beginning the second week of March.
Preparations for entry to the U.S. market have been underway for several years. U.S. consumers will get their first taste of this sweet, pocket-sized mango with a full marketing and social media campaign titled “We’re Small, Sweet, and Easy to Eat.”
These naturally grown “pocket mangos” easily fit in the palm of your hand, and are unique due to their ability to be eaten with their skin, making them an ideal treat for kids or anytime snacking.
Sweet Sugar Mangos have red and yellow, fragrant flesh with a sweet juicy taste and a brix level of 22. Unlike many other exotic mangos, sweet Sugar Mangos do not have a fibrous taste. These miniature mangos are grown naturally, non-GMO, and have a peak harvest season of April through August, with initial imports beginning in March.
Sugar Mangos are exclusively grown in Colombia’s tropical Caribbean Coast, close to Santa Marta. The tropical trade winds and unique soil create an ideal microclimate for this specialty fruit, with an edible skin, much thinner than traditional mangos. The fruit is highlighted for its extreme popularity in the region, known generically as “Mango de Azucar.”
Unlike the generic tree fruit, Sugar Mangos undergo a proprietary pre-harvest and cultivation method, with an immediate cool chain, and a patented, food-safe wash applied post-harvest to condition the fruit well for travel and the best possible taste and shelf life. The Sugar Mango Association is the manager of the Sugar Mango trademarks at origin and globally.
The Association and program are open to qualified growers, distributors, exporters, and importers via license. The variety and brand are trademarked at origin in Colombia, as well as in various international markets, including the United States.
“As with other extremely successful branded fruit programs, Sugar Mangos is designed to deliver a special and unique taste experience to the consumer, and to allow growers, distributors, exporters, and importers all align in a more precise way to ensure a consistent and quality taste experience,” commented Nicolas Mairon, development director for Sugar Mangos brand and licensing programs.
“We have been working for several years with family farmers to prepare this product for export, and for the high expectations of consumers in the North American and European markets. Sugar Mango is lucky to count some of the top regional growers, exporters, and importers as part of our brand.”
Sweet Sugar Mangos are offered commercially in 2 kilo (4.45 pound) cases, which hold between 17-22 mangos. Specially branded retail kits, POS signage, digital tools, and a social media campaign are all available to help merchandise and sell Sugar Mangos in store.
A limited quantity of 6,000-9,000 cases will be offered weekly in the United States for the initial seasons, with programs already being reserved by top grocers, distributors, and markets.
The exclusive importer of Sugar Mangos in the United States is Seasons Farm Fresh, Miami, FL.
IRI retail scan data shows that retail organic strawberry sales in 2021 totaled $447.6 million, up a whopping 22% from 2020.
Organic strawberries accounted for 12.2% of total retail strawberry sales in 2021, IRI data shows. Organic strawberries also represented nearly 6% of total organic produce sales in 2021, according to IRI.
Retailers in 2021 moved 98.5 million pounds of organic strawberries at an average retail price of $4.55 per pound, retail scan data reveals.
Southeast berry grower-shippers are expecting good-quality blueberries and blackberries this spring with decent volume.
Florida Classic Growers, Dundee, FL., is primarily a citrus shipper but added blueberries and peaches to its product line about 10 years ago.
The company produces four kinds of blueberries in the Polk County region in the central part of the state. Some varieties kick off early, while others come on later in the season, providing the company with berries from mid-March until around early May. Volume similar to last year is expected.
Crystal Valley Foods of Miami anticipates a good crop of blueberries and blackberries this season. The operation sources its Southeast berries from Alabama and Georgia. Southeast blueberries will start shipping at the beginning of April, and blackberries will get underway in June.
Crystal Valley Foods expects to have increased volume on Southeast blueberries compared to last year, and blackberry volume should be similar to previous years.
Naturipe Farms of Salinas, CA reports the start of it blueberries and blackberries from Florida, Georgia and North Carolina will be a bit later this year due to weather factors. Volume is expected to be up from a year when there was significant damage in Georgia due to frost.