Posts Tagged “Florida dragon fruit shipments”
Shipments of white dragon fruit are starting to pick up.
“There was a small gap in fruit from Ecuador for about two weeks and that caused prices to go up,” says Alan Goldberg of A&B Tropical Produce, Miami, FL. “However, now that there is more fruit coming in this week, prices should be back into the high teens. They had been in the low to mid $20s for that short gap.”
The volume coming in from Ecuador is similar to this time last year and both fruit sizing and quality have been average.
Meanwhile, Florida will begin its production of dragon fruit soon and its season usually goes three to four months. “The Florida season is looking good. The growing conditions have been favorable for the most part, so we may have some earlier than usual dragon fruit production,” says Goldberg, noting that it will continue to ship Ecuadorian white dragon fruit along with fruit from Florida. “That’s because Florida doesn’t put out the kind of production that comes in from offshore. If anything, it just puts a bit of pricing pressure on Ecuador.”
Also given the fact that fuel rates always come into play with pricing on products that are imported–and fuel rates continue to increase–that could put even more pricing pressure on Ecuador.
As for the demand for dragon fruit, it is average though there are hopes that it will strengthen given the warmer weather that is coming on across the country.
Freshway Produce Inc. of Miami, FL ships dragon fruit the year and is now increasing it’s production grown in the Sunshine State. Optimism is high this year thanks to favorable weather.
Less rainfall, which can csause fungi problems and other potential issues have not been excessive this year.
Production volumes have also seen a significant boost, particularly from one of the company’s Southern Florida farms. There, Freshway Produce dedicates approximately 44 acres to the cultivation of red and white dragon fruit.
The company has been working with Florida-grown dragon fruit since 2018, and to ensure year-round availability, it also sources from four different countries, including Ecuador and Nicaragua. The firm’s red and white locally-produced varieties are typically available from June through November.
The company reports a consistent growth trajectory in production capacity.
Native to tropical South and Central America, dragon fruit cultivation was first introduced in Florida in the early 2000s. While the Sunshine State’s warm climate provides an ideal growing environment, Florida dragon fruit is traditionally smaller than those imported from countries such as Ecuador.
Freshway notes smaller sizes offer a more practical, on-the-go alternative for snacking, although the market usually demands larger sizes.