Melon supply has transitioned from packing in the desert region which includes California's Imperial Valley and Brawley and Yuma, Arizona to California's Central Valley. "There is a big heat wave going through Central California with temperatures reaching 110-115 °F," says Justin Bootz of Legend Produce. "It is very warm and I think that's contributing to the high supply of melons. It's moving the harvest up so they're picking more because they're ready to be picked and they want to get them out of the field."
Indeed on cantaloupes, supply exceeds demand. "Our packout isn't as heavy as some are because our contract commitments are largely soaking up the volume that we're packing," says Bootz. However, the supply of honeydew is meeting the demand for the melon.
Good watermelon movement
This year, Legend Produce is also shipping watermelon and the supply of these melons is also good. "There's pretty good demand for watermelons, even post-July 4th holiday," says Bootz. "We are packing good supply in central Arizona right now."
As for pricing, cantaloupe pricing is similar right now compared to last year at this time. "Just because the cantaloupe supply is exceeding demand, it's causing a depression in prices and that is similar to last year," he says.
Looking ahead, Bootz expects that in about a week once the heat wave comes off, things will shift again. "Supply should start to shrink back down again to normal volumes and I think the market will pick up again," he says. "Right now I think there are a lot of shippers consigning loads to keep their space open in the cold room and avoid getting them too full of product. I think next week the outlook will be much better in terms of pricing."
For more information:
Justin Bootz
Legend Produce
Tel: +1 (623) 298-3782
[email protected]
www.legendproduce.com