UPDATE SUMMARY: WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Bell Peppers

Green Bells

• Markon First Crop (MFC) and Markon Essentials (ESS) Green Bell Peppers are available
• California’s Coachella crops are in full production and expected to wind down by the end of November
  • All sizes are available
  • Quality is good

• Mainland Mexico has limited quantities crossing through Nogales, Arizona this week; expect volume to increase by late November
• Georgia has experienced cool evenings which has slowed production
• South Florida production is also well underway with sufficient yields
• • Quality is good with some lots showing signs of bruising
  • Plant City, Florida is expected to start at the end of November
• Prices are expected to remain steady until Mexican supplies (into Nogales) increase

Red Bells

• MFC and ESS Red Bell Peppers are available

• California’s Imperial Desert region is shipping adequate supplies and will run until mid-December

• • Small sizes are most prevalent

• • Quality is good
• Sonora, Mexico is expected to start harvesting by mid-December barring any severe weather
• The East Coast produces a limited quantity of colored peppers
• Markets are expected to remain steady

Broccoli and Cauliflower

• MFC Broccoli and ESS Cauliflower will be limited over the next two weeks; packer label will be substituted to fill orders
• Supplies are expected to remain tight over the next two weeks
• Cool weather has slowed growth over the last few weeks in the Salinas and Santa Maria growing region, resulting in fewer available supplies
• The Arizona/California desert season’s start is delayed, leading to overall lower industry supplies
• Mexican-grown broccoli volume (loading out of South Texas) has been reduced by heavy rains in the primary growing region
• Expect elevated markets through the next two weeks

Green Leaf, Iceberg, and Romaine

• MFC Premium Iceberg is sporadic due to low weights; Markon Best Available is being substituted as needed
• MFC Premium Green Leaf and Romaine are available
• Arizona/California desert production continues to ramp up; supplies have significantly increased from prior weeks
• Demand has been elevated for the Thanksgiving holiday but is subsiding this week, further pushing down prices
• Overall quality is very good: mildew pressure and fringe burn is present in some lots
• Expect markets to continue easing as desert production increases

Limes

• MFC and ESS Limes are available
• Lower winter crop yields are expected due to quality issues

• Quality will be a concern for the next three weeks

• Styler, skin breakdown, and light color are being reported
• Additional grading is required
• The size profile will shift to smaller fruit as growers begin to harvest the winter crop; size is dominated by 150- and 175- count limes
• Current demand is rising and will increase leading up to Thanksgiving
• Expected elevated markets through November

Onions

• Idaho, Oregon, and Washington experienced record high temperatures in late June through mid-July

• • The heat, and smoke from fires, dramatically slowed maturity, resulting in smaller size and reduced yields; onions were in the latter stages of the growth process during the heatwave
  • Medium-size onions dominate availability, causing a price gap of $7.00 to $9.00 between medium and jumbo sizes

• Supply levels have fallen from 20% to 50%, depending on growing area

• • Markets are elevated; grower returns are extremely high this year, enticing suppliers to run more stocks than normal
  • Several sheds are concerned about long-term storage quality, adding motivation to pack now and avoid issues later in the year

• In efforts to counter decreased stocks, suppliers are looking for alternatives to extend volume into late April/early May

• • Many growers have been purchasing additional raw product to store and ship later
  • Growers are monitoring weekly purchases and only selling to regular customers
  • Through October 31, 2021 shipments (truck loads) are down approximately 24% from the same time in 2020

• Markon is currently in discussions with our Texas and California partners

• • Mexican onions normally begin to cross into Texas in February
  • Texas suppliers will start importing Mexican onions to fill the Northwest shortage
  • The Texas domestic season starts in March, but could start earlier in February
  • California ordinarily begins by late April but could potentially begin in early April to mitigate the supply shortage created by the Northwest season’s early end

Strawberries

Santa Maria, California

• Quality remains a challenge; crews are culling up to 50% of fruit to keep packs as clean as possible
• Production is down 65-70% in some fields
• Decay is a quality problem following recent California rain events
• Supplies will remain extremely limited for the next three weeks
• Plastic clamshells will be substituted for the corrugated packs

Oxnard, California

• Volume remains limited; harvesting has been impeded by rain over the past few weeks
• Production is expected to increase over the next two weeks

Central Mexico

• The season has begun; volume is beginning to increase following inclement weather

• Size is small (approximately 32+ berries per 1-pound clamshell)
• Limited quantities have begun to cross into McAllen, Texas; volume will increase in late November/early December as size improves

 Florida

• Harvesting has begun in a very limited way; fruit will hit the market in the next two weeks
• Orders for MFC Strawberries are estimated to begin shipping the week of December 6

Tomatoes 

• MFC Tomatoes are available

• The California tomato season has come to an end; any remaining lots are average quality at best
• The Florida growing region of Ruskin/Palmetto is well underway; mature green volume is increasing
  • Quality is very good
  • All sizes are available
  • The Florida Roma tomato winter season typically has lower volume than the spring crop; quality is good
  • Grape tomatoes are in full production with high yields and excellent quality
  • Cherry tomato volume is low, but steady
• Mexican vine ripe and Roma stocks are shipping from multiple regions including Eastern/Central Mexico, Jalisco, and the Baja Peninsula
  • Quality is good
  • All sizes are available
  • Grape tomatoes are in full production in the Baja region
  • Cherry tomato supplies will continue to struggle during the winter season; limited acreage was planted
  • The Culiacan region experienced hurricanes earlier this fall and many crops were replanted; some winter fruit might be delayed until January
• Expect round tomato prices to decrease over the next two to three weeks; Roma tomato markets are expected to remain steady

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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