We are still inching to the end of the 2019-2020 crop of reds & Fuji, with new crop Gala, Honeycrisp, early Fuji, & golds are now available. New crop true Fujis to start very soon. Storage supplies are still good for some varieties. USDA orders have kept the market strong. The retail movement continues to be steady, in the wake of COVID-19. Quality as been good, overall.
Peru numbers are almost done. Calif too has hit its peak but with harvest now out of the northern groves they will continue with light supplies into Oct. Mexico’s has been slow to harvest in an effort to push up the markets however this doesn’t appear to be working too well as the market, in general, is steady with a little decrease appearing in large fruit. Mexico has good volume; their regular crop is looking nice on the trees and showing good volume through fall. Keeping in mind Mexico will be in the driver’s seat as far as pricing goes for the next few months. Sizing is peaking 60/48/40. Look for Chile to bring in some fruit this month with the majority of that corp going to Europe; Columbia will likely start arriving here in mid-Oct.
Rains on the East coast have hindered the production of their local supplies. Demand for Berries after the Labor Day holiday continues to be good, not great.
Due to the Oregon fires, supplies of Blueberries from there are very limited. East Coast and Michigan supplies are either finishing for the season or hindered by current weather conditions. Imports from Peru should increase in the coming weeks.
Limiting supplies this week will make for a good Raspberry market. After the Labor Day Holiday, demand will not be so strong, which is good, as supplies will not be plentiful.
We are on the downward stroke of the Salinas/Watsonville season. Shorter sunlight days will slow down production of Strawberries. The market remains active and pricing is high. We the heat we experienced 10 days ago, we are starting to see some “leaky” berries arrive. Keep orders at a minimum to assure quick turnover.
Bakersfield/Arvin/Fresno is harvesting multiple varieties of green and red seedless and we expect to have excellent availability through mid-Oct. Black seedless and Globes in light supplies. The quality and condition of all grapes is excellent with a very nice berry/bunch size. The market is strong and steady.
Chilean Kiwi is going well with most all sizes and packs available. Starting to see an increase in the market as supplies work down. The fruit is frim and eating well. We won’t see new crop Calif fruit until sometime in mid-Oct.
The lemon market is flattening out a bit. Supplies are currently available domestically from Calif as well as imports from Mexico/ Chile/ Argentina. If you are looking for a deal on fruit this is the place to look. Calif fruit harvesting out of Dist 2 (Ventura area) and as it is “local” it is getting a bit more money. In general, fruit is peaking 140/115; quality is with the occasional scaring/blemish/discoloration.
Movement expected about the same. Supplies 110-150s very light, 230- 250s heavy. Trading is moderate; prices slightly lower. Quality is variable.
Movement expected to decrease slightly. Crossings include light supplies of Kent and Ataulfo varieties. Trading is moderate. Prices are generally unchanged. Quality is variable.
The honeydew market which has been flat and steady for the last month is starting to pick up. Honeydew like Cantaloupes are down in numbers slightly. Quality is good to excellent with a run of sizes mostly 5/6’s.
Cantaloupe profile is peaking on 9/ 12 with just fair supplies. Harvest continues although temp and air quality are slowing this and maturity down. The market is up and expected to stay this way for the next 10-14 days. Quality has been good to excellent.
Valencias are blowing out of the sheds fast. Great demand on Vales this year a gap later this month will be felt on Oranges before the new crop Navels. A number of Independents are finished for the season just waiting for Navels. Fruit quality has been just fair with some softness/and fuzzball on receiving. Most shippers are grading hard so mostly fancy grade to be had. Sizes peaking on 56/72 with small fruit just not there and what is going faster than they can pack. The market is strong and will continue increasing as we wait for Calif Navels to start. Offshore Navels are winding down fast and will be a thing of the past before new crop domestic starts.
New crop Bartletts & D’Anjou are here, along with red pears. There are a few Bosc, but they’ll be in better supply as the month continues. Pricing has been very strong for the beginning. California Bartletts are still going & are getting the majority of the movement right now. Quality is good.
Movement expected about the same. Trading 5-7s moderate, 8s very slow. Prices slightly lower, quality is variable.
Tangerines are available on the east and west coasts and starting to wind up for import season. This fruit has moved out well with fairly good quality…. we have seen occasional gassing scars and fuzz balls in the box. Fruit for the most part is being repacked here back into bulk or bags depending on the need. Look for Domestic specialties to start harvesting in October…. check back here for updates.
Nectarine & Peach are winding up and will be completed domestically over the next 2 weeks for all intent and purposes. The market has strengthened due to this and most of the fruit avail are large– 40/48 predominately. That being said we still have good to decent supplies of early fall Plum varieties which should continue into mid to late Oct. These Plums are in few hands so be sure to call for more information.
Movement in Texas expected to increase; Oklahoma expected about the same. Trading 45 count active, others moderate. Prices Seedless 45 count slightly higher, 60 counts lower, others generally unchanged. Quality is generally good.