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
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- 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
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- Small sizes are most prevalent
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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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