MARKET UPDATE APR 17-22, 2022

Good afternoon,

Ramadan Kareem, Happy Holy Week, and a prosperous spring to all!

FLORIDA LETTUCE and LEAF are finishing up this week. There will still be some supplies available for another week or so, but from our standpoint, the quality is not suitable for export. Lucky enough, ICEBERG and ROMAINE out of California are good quality new crops at reasonably affordable prices. Making the switch next week should not cause too much heartburn.

Iceberg and romaine are not the only commodities fairing well in Salinas, CAULIFLOWER and BROCCOLI markets are coming off thanks to healthy volume and quality. Late season YUMA products had some heat damage and yellowing, but now that we are fully into California new crops, those issues are behind us with good quality and pricing ahead!

Truck drivers in Mexico are now protesting a decision by Texas Governor Abbott to allow additional checks by State Troopers on northbound trucks coming into Texas from Mexico. Originally, checks were only allowed by federal employees. Trucks are now waiting days in some cases, to cross into the U.S. Delays on all goods out of Mexico are to be expected for next week.

Supplies on PEPPERS, AVOCADOES, LIMES, and other Mexican staples, are seeing additional shortages this week due to Holy Week. A week to celebrate and spend time with family also happens to lead to a significant slow down in production. Look for these markets to remain strong through next week.

ASPARAGUS production in Mexico is beginning to slow down. Although most of the ASPARAGUS we get in Miami this time of year is from PERU, the production out of Mexico is what moves market pricing. ASPARAGUS supplies are going to get tight in the coming weeks, and we are seeing the start of the price increase already.

GRAPES and MELONS look to continue their seasonal trends. MELON supplies will continue to diminish as the import season comes to an end, and GRAPES will do the same, three to four weeks behind melons. GREEN GRAPES are tight and there is a significant difference in quality between price levels. The quality gap is closer on RED grapes but the market is all over the place. Mexican and west coast supplies on both MELONS and GRAPES will get going later in May.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill