SALINAS, CA - As predicted earlier last month, the ample volumes of broccoli have tightened into a market high on demand and low in supply. Strong grower partners like Ippolito International continue to work to ensure quality product while balancing the challenges posed by Mother Nature, making for a dynamic market overall as we approach the transition from California’s central valley/coast growing regions to Arizona/Mexico and holiday promotions.
“We expect markets to stay strong in demand but with limited supplies for the balance of the Salinas season and during the transition to Yuma, Arizona, and Mexico, which will take place in the next four to six weeks,” Jacob Abramson, Broccoli Commodity Manager, shared with me recently. “Broccoli has been active and trending upward for the last three weeks, with most prices in the low $30s for bunch and mid $30s for crowns.”
Supplies have been very tight, with low yields in both the Salinas Valley and Santa Maria, California, growing districts due to a combination of triple-digit temperatures followed by rain the region experienced back in early September. While the transition to the next region in the growing calendar will likely tip the scales back into balance, Jacob cautions this will not be immediate.
“We expect the desert Mexico season to have a slow start due to the recent heavy rains, winds, and hail in the San Luis/Mexicali growing region as well,” Jacob advised.
Moisture in the mornings, along with brown bead and higher insect pressure, has made pin rot the main issue in the broccoli market bouncing back, with younger plants set to harvest for this time period bearing the stress of that late-summer weather. But, despite the challenges Mother Nature has posed over the last several weeks of the season, Ippolito has seen excellent demand, especially from its broccoli floret program and commodity offerings. As the grower has shown time and again, it will seek and provide solutions to customers through the balance of the season between Salinas, Yuma, and back again.
As we continue to report on this fluctuating situation, continue to follow AndNowUKnow for the latest in this and other key categories.
