Posts Tagged “Mexican avocado shipments”
Washington state apple shipments are expected to be down a little this season. Meanwhile, Mexican avocado loadings to the U.S. are increasing.
A forecast of 132.9 million boxes of fresh apples has been made for the for 2016-17 shipping season, up 15 percent from last year’s 115 million box crop. However, this is down 6 percent from 2014’s record 141.8 million boxes.
Reflecting a smaller crop, overall exports for the 2015-16 crop year were off about 30 percent from the record 2014-15 season. Current season to date shipments through mid July were about 29.7 million cartons, down from 44.3 million cartons the same time in 2015.
Exports for both Canada and Mexico totaled 52 percent of all exports. The top three U.S. apple export markets for 2015-16 were Mexico, Canada and India. With the bigger 2016 Washington crop, this year should be a bounce-back season for Washington exports.
Yakima Valley apples – grossing about $5200 to Atlanta.
Avocado Shipments
Untimely rains in California resulted in avocado shipments being down on the summer crop. Meanwhile, the primary Mexican avocado shipments are yet to ramp up.
Through June, yearly volumes were running well ahead of last year’s pace, with 660 million pounds shipping during the three months of April, May and June alone, up from 549 million pounds in the same period the previous year.
However, in July and August, volumes fell 15 percent, from 378 million pounds in 2015 to 320 million pounds this year. Shipments are expected to be approaching normal by November.
As of Sept. 14, primary Mexican avocado shipments were running two or three weeks behind last year’s crop, though volumes were ramping up in the first half of the month. It is projected about 81.5 million pounds would ship in the first two weeks of September, down just slightly from the same period last year.
The summer California avocado shipments will likely wind up being just two-thirds the size of the preseason estimates, due to rains starting in mid-June, more than a month later than normal.
It still is likely be the first week of October before Mexican imports by the U.S. begin ramping up, with loadings moving into the 40 million to 45 million pound-per-week range.
Shipments of both avocado and mangoes are on the rise and will continue to increase as we get further into the year.
California avocado shipments are now providing steady loadings for produce truckers from both southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. The California harvest is now exceeding 10 million pounds per week and will continue to increase through the spring. Shipments are expected to peak in late June, and remain strong throughout 2016. A significant dip in avocado shipments is not expected until after the Super Bowl, Feb. 5, 2017, in Houston.
While California avocado shipments tend to be hauled to markets in the western half of the U.S., much of the avocado supply for U.S. markets is coming from Mexico, which tends to serve destinations in the eastern half of the U.S. Mexican avocado shipments also are heavy this year, with the majority of imports crossing the border at McAllen, Tx.
Huron head lettuce and San Joaquin Valley citrus – grossing about $5600 to New York City.
Mango Imports
Mexican mango shipments imported to the USA were unseasonably low during March. For the week ending on March 19, 1.2 million boxes arrived from Mexico, making it 4.8 million boxes for the season. That is down from the same week in 2015, when 1.5 million boxes arrived and 5.9 million boxes had come in for the season. However, mango imports are now on the rise and big volume supplies are crossing the border from Mexico, as well as arriving at US ports by boat from Guatemala.
Lower Rio Grande Valley citrus, Mexican mangos, tomatoes, vegetables – grossing about $2600 to Chicago.
The number of loads for the new season Michigan apple shipments will be down from original estimates, but still good…Meanwhile, here’s an update on shipping opportunities for California avocados.
Depending you who you ask, Michigan apple shipments will be somewhere between 22.5 and 25 million bushels. Last season, crop finished at 27 million bushels.
The Michigan apple industry is still collecting data for the final 2014-15 estimate.
Heading into the 2015 harvest, Michigan growers are expecting similar volumes from the Ridge area, higher volumes from the Southwest, similar volumes from the East and lighter volumes from the Northwest part of Michigan.
Michigan blueberry shipments have just started. We hope to have more info on loading opportunities soon.
Avocado Shipments
Over 70 percent of the California avocado shipments have been completed, with much of the volume now coming out of the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo areas. California could ship up to 10 million pounds a week through mid-July before volumes begin a gradual decline.
Mexico’s 2014-15 crop is finishing up. However new crop loadings for Mexican avocado shipments are just starting.
Imports of Peruvian avocados began arriving at US ports within the last week or so.
Southern California avocados, tomatoes, vegetables – grossing about $5400 to Cleveland.
Here’s a look at two very different hauling opportunities — red potatoes from North Dakota and Minnesota, plus the amazing growth of avocado shipments.
It used to be produce truckers rarely had avocados very high on their list of items to haul, but that has changed over the past decade or so. This year about 1.8 billion pounds (450,000 truck load equvialents) will be shipped to U.S. markets. which includes both domestic production and imports. This compares to 500 million pounds in 2000. Last June set a record for monthly shipments with 180 million pounds of avocado shipped. In 2015, loadings should hit the 2-billion-pound mark.
While California U.S. avocado shipments (which should end up at about 315 million pounds this year) are winding down with only about 20 percent of its crop left, Mexico is ramping up, with volume loadings headed to the U.S. starting this month. During Mexico’s 2013-14 season it shipped 1.1 billion pounds, with the U.S. being its biggest market. This season Mexican avocado shipments are expected to increase 20 percent over the previous season.
Mexican avocados and other produce crossing through South Texas – grossing about $4400 to New York City.
North Dakota/Minnesota Potatoes
Big Lake, MN red potato shipments are pretty much finished, while loadings out of Long Prairie, MN should continue for another two weeks….Both of these areas annually serve as a prelude to the largest growing and shipping area in the country. That would be just to the west in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. This marks the 20th year since this writer first visited these northern plains, which has the most beautiful, black soil for growing non-irrigated red potatoes anywhere. The only thing better than the soil in the Red River Valley are the people – they are great, hard working, honest and friendly!
The Red River Valley is expecting normal, or at least fairly close to normal shipments this season. The harvest has just started and will continue through October, if not going into November, depending upon the first heavy frost. This is when volume shipments pick up.
Big Lake, MN red potatoes – grossing about $3000 to Dallas.