Pomelo harvest is underway in Florida. "We started right before the hurricanes and the supply is getting better," says Dennis Sever of Exotic Growers, adding that the impact of the hurricanes on the citrus industry is still being assessed. "We lost about maybe 15 percent of our gross yield on average–some people lost more than half of their pomelo crop."
Harvesting will continue until mid-January, with the peak season of availability landing between November and December. "When we first started harvest, bins were weighing 630 lbs. Last week and this week they're averaging around 700 lbs. so they're getting more juice in there, maybe from the hurricane with all of the rain," says Sever. "The count is the same but the weight of the fruit is heavier."
Other growing regions
Along with Florida, pomelos are also coming from both California and Vietnam.
Demand for pomelos is starting slow for a fruit that has a relatively short season. However, it is increasing weekly from here on in. "Pomelo demand is also generally growing a lot. Five to 10 years ago, you couldn't find them in conventional supermarkets–only grapefruits. Now they're more and more in local grocery stores and they're becoming more and more mainstream," says Sever.
So where is all of this leaving pricing? "Normally the pricing is pretty much steady. It goes up a bit during the peak season. However, this year because others lost fruit, they've gone up in price and we'll probably follow suit," says Sever, adding that pomelo pricing might continue to increase as well due to the short supply.
For more information:
Dennis Sever
Exotic Growers, Inc.
Tel: +1 (305) 393-1556
[email protected]