DRY VEGETABLE MARKET REPORT
Week of November 12, 2017
(Note: See end of report for explanation to the color codes)
Tomatoes
East
• Rounds - Eastern production is limited mostly to FL as all local deals have wrapped up. Unfortunately, these FL regions took a deep impact from Irma as we have been previously reporting. For what limited volume is harvested, the crop quality looks very nice. FOBs push up another $5+ as the supply gap strengthens. Relief is not expected until around the 2nd week of December once Immokalee fires up.
• Romas- Eastern production is limited mostly to FL as all local deals have wrapped up. Unfortunately the Palmetto/Ruskin area took a deep impact form Irma as we have been previously reporting. The silver lining is demand has been fairly weak, therefore, romas took only a few dollar increase moving into next week. Relief is not expected until the South FL crop begins in mid December. Quality for what is being picked is very nice.
• Grapes- There is a significant supply gap nationally. The FL region that typically fills this time frame took a major hit from Irma. FOBs are up another few dollars. Prices remain extremely high and relief is not expected for another 4 weeks. Quality, if you can get your hands on them, is very nice.
• Cherries- With grapes skyrocketing, demand for cherries has improved, thus pushing the market upwards. Supplies are drying up, yet quality remains good. We anticipate this market to continue upwards if no grape relief is brought to the table soon.
West/Mexico
• Rounds- Rounds from CA are officially done as the last grower recently wrapped up. If anything trickles in from the region, quality is extremely suspect. We highly advise to keep a very tight inventory on all CA tomatoes. MX vine ripes are steadily crossing the border. As suspected, prices are quickly rising as demand increase with the FL supply gap. Quality for the vines is good.
• Romas- MX supplies are fairly steady at this time, resulting in a minimal increase in prices. Unfortunately this isn’t expected to last much longer as the round market strengthens. Quality is good from all areas.
• Grapes- We have reached a very tight market and extreme supply gap as Eastern MX & Baja produce very light supplies. No relief is expected until the first week of December until Nogales can give some supply to the marketplace. Quality is fair as best from the west.
• Cherries- Demand and supply remain in equilibrium which is resulting in a steady cherry market. However, note that if no grape relief is seen soon, we do anticipate a rise in demand and FOBs. Quality is good.
Green Bell Pepper
East- GA has had some cooler temps recently, which has slowed production down. However, FL is slowing picking up. A few more peppers are in the marketplace, thus pushing pricing downward just a hair. Quality is good.
West- Supplies are still slightly limited, however, a few more MX growers are coming on board. The desert is in crown picks with good supply on bigger size pepper. Quality has improved. FOBs have come off slightly, but are still higher than usual.
Red Bell Pepper
West- Steady supplies & demand are resulting in steady FOBs. Quality is fair to good.
Yellow Squash / Zucchini
East- local deals have concluded. GA experienced some cooler temps which slowed production, but FL is pushing out good supplies and quality. FOBs are steady and quality overall is good, but some scarring could be present in yellow squash.
West- Although FOBs are fairly steady, Nogales is expecting lighter supplies for about two weeks. This is mostly due to continuous depressed markets, a brief heat wave, and transition to other growing regions. Quality is good.
Cucumbers
East- A snug market is evident in the east as GA experienced cooler temps slowing production. FL areas are slowing coming on board but there is not enough supply to cover demand. Prices are steady and quality is mostly good.
West- Baja is still pushing the last of their crop out with good quality. Mainland MX is showing good supply & quality. Thus, FOBs have slightly fallen.
Eggplant
East- GA being the only grower in play, supplies are not enough to meet the demand of the fans. FOBs are remain high. Some quality issues are being reported from the GA region. Look for FL to start in a small way next week.
West- While the desert still has some eggs in play for a cheap price, quality is lacking. Turn to Nogales for better quality, yet note that the price point will be a few dollars higher.
Jalapenos
East- GA still has a few peppers trickling out at mostly good quality, but the market is definitely firming up. FL will not start for another few weeks. Look for this market to perk up a bit until the FL market begins.
West- Good supplies from Sonora & Sinaloa, but quality has been up and down due to a heat wave. Thus FOBs are pushed up a few dollars. Look for relief in the next 10-14 days.
Beans
East- FL is just barely scraping the surface so look for the bean market to remain high for another 7 days, and then drive downward as more supplies come to light. Quality so far has been good.
West- Quality concerns are driving most shippers out of the bean deal. The desert has very light supplies and Nogales is experiencing major quality concerns. Prices are expected to remain high for another week, potentially two.
• Eastern Growing Region(s) Weather Forecast:
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• Western Growing Region(s) Weather Forecast:
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Code to Color Alerts:
Market generally with-in normal ranges and steady from last week for both pricing and quality. Any price changes can be expected to be $2.50 or less with no major changes in quality. Also, no change in the growing region(s) and no news that could drastically affect pricing in the future. Some news included concerning the market that may indicate a moderate change in pricing and/or quality. FOB pricing is generally up or down between $2.50 and $5.00 from the previous week. It will also be used to indicate news that may have a drastic impact on the price, quality and/or availability in future weeks (versus the following week). Finally, this color will also be used to indicate a commodity that continues to be outside the normal range as far as price, quality and/or availability.
News included that indicates a major change in the market from the previous week as far as pricing, quality and/
or availability. May see price changes, up or down, in excess of $5.00 per case. This color will only be used to indicate a
major change from the previous week.
Important note: This market report is only a snapshot of the various commodity markets as of the morning of the date of
the report. When we expect a trend to develop, we will express that expectation. However, commodity markets are
subject to actual supply and demand levels and can change quickly due to weather and other unforeseen factors.
Therefore, please be aware that markets may change from the time this report is published and the time prices are set for
the following week. If such changes are dramatic, we will publish a revised market report.