MARKET UPDATE WEEK # 32 - 2020

Good Afternoon,

APPLE volumes have been strong this season. We are steadily approaching new crop, and there is still plenty of product around. This is good news for buyers as anytime you have excess supplies, there are good deals to be had! Look for NEW CROP APPLES around the following dates: GALA - mid to late August, HONEYCRISP, FUJI, GRANNY SMITH, and GOLD varieties - early September, and REDS will be the last to come on, around late September.

GREEN BELL PEPPER supplies have recovered, and we are seeing market prices reflect recent availability. RED, YELLOW, and ORANGE BELL PEPPER are another story. Due to tight supplies, we are seeing a lot of shippers cut corners with, suntan pepper, Le Rouge or elongated pepper, and as we like to call them, "cheater box" 15lb pepper. Look for some relief soon but anticipate tight markets for another week or so.

BLACKBERRY and RASPBERRY supplies are scarce. Production in Mexico has been weak on both berries and we are not seeing much help domestically. STRAWBERRIES out of California are in fair supply but shippers are not struggling to keep fruit moving. BLUEBERRIES are wrapping up in New Jersey and there is some strong availability in British Columbia keeping markets in check.

CHERRIES are getting close to the end of the season! We should have one or two, dare I say three, weeks left of availability on cherries.

LIME markets continue to climb as we have mentioned the past few weeks. We believe there is another few weeks of a steady increase in price before we see any relief.

California shippers continue to see quality issues on LETTUCE and LEAF. Tip burn is being reported by nearly all shippers. Summer conditions have really got the best of the product, and prices are reflective of the struggle's shippers are seeing. Finding good quality is a challenge.

On the other hand, the same heat that is hurting supplies on lettuce and leaf is hurling supplies forward on BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER. We are seeing some purpling on occasion but that is consistent with certain varieties of BROCCOLI, not indicative of a quality issue. Cook it and watch that purple disappear!

USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program demand is keeping POTATO and ONION markets tight! There is going to be a rebidding process and we will see where that situation takes us but we expect the program to continue in some form for the next few months.

More as it happens