Tomato supply out of Mexico is just transitioning growing regions. Eduardo Herbst of SunFed says it is finishing up its production out of Baja California and is beginning production in Central Mexico. Growing will stay there until December. “The transition is on track though because of the current heat wave, the volume does vary week to week,” says Herbst, who notes it is working with plum tomatoes right now.
The overall supply out of Mexico on tomatoes is fairly similar to last year at this time. “The only difference is the quality factor,” says Herbst. “With this extreme heat, the product is ripening a little quicker so it’s important to keep the movement going so that the product doesn’t back up on you.”
Making for strong markets
Fortunately, demand is fairly good and even increasing at the moment as it generally does in August, especially with school coming back into session this month in the U.S. “We used to see that uptick towards the end of the month but now we’re seeing it towards the front of the moth. That, combined with a bit of bloom drop in July, is keeping the markets strong,” says Herbst.
Indeed, pricing is stronger than last year at this time due to the quality that’s available--Herbst notes labor is particularly challenging with the heat. “Looking ahead, the markets should remain stable as we see a decrease in production out of Mexico,” he adds.
For more information:
Eduardo Herbst
SunFed
EHerbst@SunFed.net
http://www.sunfed.net/