Lettuce supplies could be in for another supply interruption. “We have another cooling trend and another weather system coming through that’s supposed to affect supplies out of Mexico and into the desert area which may cause that interruption,” says Paul Vogel of QSI Produce.
In all, lettuce from the Imperial and Yuma Valleys is in steady but light supply and will continue that way for the next three to four weeks. This follows cooler-than-normal weather pushing supplies back anywhere from five to 10 days behind schedule. Supply will continue from these regions from the end of March into mid-April depending on the growing area.
Transitioning back to California
At the same time, more weather concerns loom. “The transition to Huron, Santa Maria and Salinas are also behind schedule due to cooler weather and also due to planting gaps caused by rain--there could be some interruption in supply,” says Vogel. “However what’s really going to be a factor is: what will supplies be like in Mexico and Florida at that time? If the Eastern markets pulling out of McAllen, Texas and Florida get shut down out of those areas, then we could have a really strong market early April to mid-May.”
While national demand is a little soft on lettuces due perhaps to a variety of issues--high retail prices, adverse weather throughout North America, supplies out of Mexico and Florida competing for a shrinking open market--it is a staple item. “Lettuce is the drum of the band--everyone uses it and we’re in fact finding a resurgence in demand on iceberg,” says Vogel, adding that in turn, the lack of open market demand is resulting in occasional opportunities for below contract pricing.
For more information:
Paul Vogel
QSI Produce, LLC
Tel: +1 (213) 629-1152
[email protected]
www.qsiproduce.com