Nogales
Vegetables
Market
Snapshot*
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture was reporting the following prices
on West Mexico vegetables through Nogales, Ariz.:
Cucumbers:
1 1/9 bushel cartons, small, $6.95-8.95; medium, $10.95-12.95;
large, mostly $8.95.
Green
bell peppers: 1 1/9 bushel cartons, small, mostly $5.95; medium,
$5.95-7.95; large, mostly $7.95; extra-large, $7.95-9.95.
Squash:
1 1/9 bushel cartons, zucchini, large, $4.95-6.95; yellow straightneck,
$4.95-6.95; acorn, medium and large, $10.85-12.95.
Greenhouse
tomatoes: One-layer flats, vine-ripe, size 22s, mostly $20.95;
size 35s, mostly $16.95-18.95; size 52s, $12.95-14.95.
*
Prices from the USDA's Fruit & Vegetable Market News, Dec.
8.
The
Shipping Scene
West
Mexico's fall/winter produce deal is off to a strong start, with
shippers in Nogales, Ariz., reporting that quality is looking
good on a wide range of products.
Mexico
is the No. 1 provider of fruits and vegetables to North America
during the winter months, according to the Nogales-based Fresh
Produce Association of the Americas, and more than one-third of
that product passes through the Nogales port of entry.
Sandia
Distributors Inc. already is finishing up its Hermosillo squash
and watermelon programs in the northern part of the country, said
sales manager Bill Spence. The company is kicking off its Sinaloa
and Jalisco programs that consist of zucchini, yellow straightneck,
gray and hard shell squash.
The
northern program was a success from quality and production standpoints,
but markets were fairly weak, Spence said. He's hopeful that prices
will improve as the holidays approach and the deal moves southward.
"The
Sinaloa crop looks very promising," he said. "Markets
have perked up a little bit, and there seems to be more activity.
We're anticipating a good deal."
Consumers
already seem to be picking up items for holiday parties and get-togethers,
and that should continue through year's end, he said.
Overall,
growing conditions have been favorable in Sinaloa, he said, and
sizing has been good on the company's squash and melons.
Santa
Paula, Calif.-based Calavo Growers Inc. had to wait an extra week
for its open-field mature-green tomato crop in Culiacan to ripen,
said JJ Badillo, director of diversified products.
Hot
weather caused bloom drop on the early tomatoes, so shipments
are not expected to get under way until next week. That's also
when the company's shade house and greenhouse programs with two-layer
trays of vine-ripes and one-layer trays of beefsteak tomatoes
should get under way.
Volume
should increase the week of Dec. 21, and Badillo expects to see
strong volume through the company's Nogales location by the week
of Dec. 28.
Badillo
was in the Culiacan growing area last week and said, "Quality
looks outstanding."
He
expects large sizes and promotable volume, with prices starting
out fairly high in December and early January, and then tapering
off in mid- to late January.
The
Giumarra Cos. is shipping mostly vegetables this week, including
green and colored bell peppers and cucumbers, said Nick Rendon,
sales manager.
"Right
now, the quality is looking outstanding," he said.
The
company is sourcing from Culiacan and Guaymas and should have
about the same volume as last year.
Sizing
has been good on peppers so far, with plenty of jumbo and extra-large
sizes available. Cucumbers are looking nice, too.
"It's
all been No. 1 stuff," he said.
Giumarra
will ship from West Mexico through May, Rendon said.
As
Nogales continues to play a vital role in moving winter produce
into the U.S. and Canada, the Fresh Produce Association of the
Americas plays an equally vital role in helping distributors move
their product safely and efficiently.
Representatives
of the association were in Washington, D.C., this week participating
in food safety discussions, said Amy Adams, public affairs director.
The
organization also is working to have the weight limit for trucks
raised to 97,000 pounds in the U.S. trade zone near the border
so trucks can cross fully loaded. The change would increase security,
reduce congestion, decrease emissions and enhance safety by reducing
the number of trucks crossing the border, according to the association.
FPAA
recently concluded its "wildly successful" convention
and annual trade meetings, in which the Food and Drug Administration,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Department of Agriculture
participated, Adams said.
(By
Tom Burfield, Western correspondent for The Packer. The Packer
and Red Book Credit Services are part of food360º, a division
of Vance Publishing Corp., Lincolnshire, Ill.)
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