MARKET UPDATE NOVEMBER 15-19, 2021

Good afternoon,

The month of November will bring on fresh new crop fruits! FLORIDA STRAWBERRIES have started to bloom, and we expect to have availability sometime in the next two weeks.

New crop CHERRIES are also coming soon! With the decline of domestic PLUMS, CANTALOUPES, and HONEYDEWS, the arrival of imported fruits will start to increase throughout the month of November.

Oh, what a relief it is to be partially through the fall transition. YUMA LETTUCE and ROMAINE have started, and markets are already showing signs of relief. Pricing is coming off on both commodities, but growers will need some time to ramp up to full production. Markets will continue to come down in the coming weeks and we expect things to ease up significantly after Thanksgiving.

While LETTUCE is getting comfortable down in Arizona, late season BROCCOLI was left out in the California rain. Seemingly overnight, markets have tightened up on BROCCOLI CROWNS. We were already seeing a seasonal shortage, but heavy rain earlier this week wiped out a significant portion of supplies. Some growers have started to harvest early YUMA BROCCOLI, but markets will be active until we see strong supplies in the South, about a week or two. Keep BROCCOLI orders low next week to avoid this short-term surge in pricing.

PINEAPPLE imports remain strong as we enter the holiday season. Arrivals into South Florida continue to be on time for the most part. With Central American imports picking up before Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, container space on vessels is at a premium. Shipping lines are adding a peak season surcharge due to the limited space as well as increased demand for dry goods. Please keep this in mind for the next few weeks as import costs increase, prices are sure to follow.

FLORIDA production is beginning to show signs of life. CITRUS has started, STRAWBERRIES and LETTUCE are just a few weeks away, and TOMATOES and SQUASH will start to see significant volumes very soon! Lower transit times will soften transportation costs and ease some of the pressures on the supply chain.

After a long gap due to COVID supply constraints and surges in retail demand, PEANUTS are finally available. We have had VIRGINIA FANCY NUTS for a few weeks now and will have new crop VALENCIA nuts next week.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill