Bell Peppers

Red Bells

• Markon First Crop (MFC) and Markon Essentials (ESS) Red Bell Peppers are available

• Mexican growers are transitioning to new regions, causing a harvesting gap
  • January’s low prices caused some growers to harvest early as green peppers while others walked away from fields
  • Cooler evenings are hindering the ripening process
  • Quality is good: some defects are being observed at pack out
• The East Coast produces a minimal amount of colored peppers
• Expect prices to increase over the next week

Green Bells

• MFC and ESS Green Bell Peppers are available
• Mexican supplies are sufficient in Sonora and Sinaloa
  • All sizes and grades are available
  • Quality is good

• Florida crops are recovering from last week’s evening frost; plant tops were compromised

• • New field growth has been stunted, while some older fields might not recover
  • Quality is average
• Expect prices to remain stable this week

Cauliflower

• ESS Cauliflower is available in the Arizona and California desert growing regions
• Cool weather slowed growth, resulting in fewer available supplies over the next five to seven days
• Quality is strong with great color; small size is occasionally affecting some lots
• Demand is moderate and forecast to strengthen as stocks become tighter
• Expect Arizona and California markets to increase this week, then ease next week as warmer growing weather is forecast

Carrots

• Yields are well-below average in California as the season winds down; record rainfall in December and low temperatures are the primary factors
• New crop supplies out of California’s Imperial Valley are dominated by small sizes; it will take two to three more weeks for size to increase
• Expect extremely limited California jumbo supplies through late February
  • Carrot sticks are also tightening as they are made from jumbo carrots
  • Baby Peeled Snack Packs continue to be in a demand-exceeds-supply situation due to increased post-COVID demand
• Jumbo carrots (in 25-and 50-pound poly bags) are available out of Arizona, Georgia, and Mexico (crossing into South Texas)

• Prices are much lower compared to California stocks
• Quality is good with the biggest difference being the flavor profile

Green Beans

• Florida production is struggling after cold weather hit the region last week
  • Effects from the frost range from reduced harvests to lost plantings
  • Quality is average: bruising and translucency are concerns
  • Expect reduced shelf-life at this time
• Mexican volume has dipped due to cooler evenings
  • Demand has increased, pushing markets higher
  • Quality is good
• Expect elevated markets during the month of February

Limes

• Demand has increased; prices are climbing
• Mexican yields are down; supplies (crossing into South Texas) are starting to decrease this week
• The crop is dominated by large sizes (150- and 175-count fruit)
• Quality is good: oil spotting is a concern but suppliers are culling damaged fruit as much as possible prior to loading on trucks
• Expect prices to keep rising into March, which is common for this time of year

Onions

• Northwest storage onion quality remains average overall; however, occasional internal defects such as translucency, dryness, and watery scale may be seen
• Remaining storage stock size runs small
  • Medium sizes dominate remaining volume
  • A significant price gap of $8.00 to $10.00 remains between medium and jumbo onions

• Mexican supplies (crossing into South Texas) have increased, but rain is forecast for the latter part of this week; packing will be delayed
  • White and yellow onion volume is adequate; limited numbers of red onions have begun to cross into the U.S.
  • Fresh-run onions have feathery skins and light color/exterior skins compared to Northwest storage onions
• Texas-grown onions are expected to enter the market the week of March 9

• California/Imperial Valley onions are estimated to start shipping in mid-April
• The New Mexico season will begin in early June

Potential Florida Bloom Drop

• One of the main causes of bloom (blossom) drop is poor weather that can cause stress in plants
  • Most plants can tolerate extreme temperatures for short periods of time; however, plants often abort setting their fruit and focus on survival
  • Other reasons bloom drop occurs include lack of pollination, nitrogen levels, lack of water, and insect damage
• Tomatoes will be impacted, especially small-size fruit (6X6 and 6X7 packs) which are typically harvested from mature fields and during second and third picks
• Bell pepper, squash and eggplant yields might dip in the next two to three weeks due to pollination issues in newer, unharvested areas
• Green bean plants are more fragile; supplies are extremely tight after this past weekend
• Demand will shift to the Mexican winter growing region of Sinaloa in February

Tomatoes

• Mexican cherry, grape, Roma, and vine ripe tomato volume is lower due to cooler evenings

• • Large-size round (4×4 and 4×5) and Roma tomatoes are more abundant; prices are weak
  • Overall quality is good
  • All sizes are available

• Florida crops experienced a bloom drop due to last week’s frost which will effect volume in early March

• • Round tomato crop size has increased due to cooler temperatures last week; 6×6 sizes are snug
  • Roma, grape, and cherry tomato supplies are tightening
  • Quality is best in the newer fields
• Expect markets to remain steady for the next two weeks

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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