Overall, the period between the Chilean season and the Florida season was characterized by low volumes and high prices. However, at this point in time the landscape is very different. Following unusually high prices in February, March and April, caused by a lack of Chilean and Mexican fruit. However, Mexico now reports consistently higher volumes than last year.
When combined with early season tailings from Chile and Florida, week 12 through week 14 has seen more volume than past numbers for this time frame.
However, a total increase in volume of 10% during these three weeks last year cannot explain how more than half of the value was removed from the market, from an average of $ 4.91 USD / LB in week 12 (Mar 22) at $ 2.35 USD / LB in week 15 (April 12).
In this case, there seems to be a strong case for linking much of the impact on COVID-19, which is throwing away a figurative key in the category supply chain. This disruption can be seen in the contrasting stories we hear from different markets.
On the one hand, many producers fear that their livelihood is at stake, while on the other hand, we see reports that retail sales have never been better thanks to panic buying.
In the NABC COVID-19 email dated April 8, 2020, there was an IRI report indicating that the total dollars spent on fresh berries for weeks 11 (March 15) and 12 (March 22) increased 32.5. % and 23.5% respectively, dropping to a 4% increase in week 13 (March 29). And similar trends have been observed in most grocery items carried by supermarkets.
The good news is that the increase in demand is real and tangible, consumers have not lost their appetite for blueberries and if week 13 (March 29) is an indicator of where the market is headed, we could expect consumers spend something similar. quantities of blueberries in the coming weeks as they were spending last year.