It looks as though the market on green onions has hit its peak and is steadying again. “It appears to have settle back down a little bit with supplies and harvest schedules getting back to what was considered normal before Tropical Storm Hilary,” says Russ Widerburg of Valley Produce.
Both photos: Fields of Green Life Farms, a grower/shipper based in Indio, Ca. These fields are located in Mexicali, Baja, Ca.
Indeed, both green onion supplies and harvest were curtailed due to the heavy rain and wind from Hilary. “Growing regions from Ensenada on the Coast of Baja and Mexicali and San Luis in Inland Baja were all affected to some extent,” says Widerburg. “Harvest of green onions were already starting to cut back before the rains and wind due to the excessively hot temperatures in July and August. Tropical Storm Hilary just intensified and sped up the severity.”
Pricing spike
As for pricing, the open market on 48-count iced green onions jumped significantly from the $15 range to as high as $40 within a couple of weeks. The green onion market is usually in the $20 to $30 range during the summer months and that’s where pricing looks like it’s beginning to settle back into.
“Iceless green onion production was really stymied as the cold rooms were completely emptied and had to deal with power outages up to three to four days,” adds Widerburg. “It will take a week or so to get iceless production back up to speed. However, don’t be surprised to see higher green onion prices well into the month of October.”
For more information:
Russ Widerburg
Valley Produce
[email protected]