The Florida blueberry season is running about a week or two behind this year. "The bushes and crop look very good right now, and we're seeing excellent fruit quality," says Steven Callaham of the Dundee Citrus Growers. "We did have a cold front move through yesterday morning, and it continues to move through, so our temperatures are going to drop some."
© Dundee Citrus Growers
That means some cooler nights and cooler days for the growing region, though Florida's cooler days are still in the 80° F range. Those temperatures, combined with yesterday's rain, are expected to slow production down somewhat and push demand to exceed supply through the week. Next week though, demand and supply are anticipated to level out again.
© Dundee Citrus GrowersBushes bounce back
In general, demand has been strong for Florida blueberries this season. "It's been a good response to the fruit quality and sizing," says Callaham. "We had the hurricanes last fall, and at the time, there's no blueberry crop, but it stressed out the bushes. So going into this season knowing the bushes were stressed, we were uneasy about it, but we're pleasantly surprised how they've recovered." He said the bushes are well fruited this year with good-quality fruit.
While Florida is in production right now, Peruvian and Chilean blueberries generally decrease their volume from mid to late March. April is primarily fruit from Florida, and there are also berries from Mexico.
© Dundee Citrus Growers
The Florida season is expected to run until mid-May. That's also around the time that Georgia blueberry volume enters the market, which often adjusts pricing.
As for pricing right now, Callaham says it's stable and fair to the buyer and grower.
For more information:
Steven Callaham
Dundee Citrus Growers
Tel: +1 (863) 439-1574
info@dun-d.com
http://dun-d.com/