News and Stories

Supplies will remain tight next week; prices will climb. Production won’t increase in Florida and Mexico for another two to three weeks. Poor weather in both regions has pushed back production start dates for winter crops. Expect high prices until volume is higher.

Florida

• Growers are working through a production gap between fall crops (that ended early) and late-starting winter harvests
• November’s high temperatures matured fall crops faster than normal, resulting in the season ending two weeks earlier than scheduled
• Typically, winter crops would be in production by this time, but daily showers and cloudy conditions are slowing maturity
• Quality problems resulting from hot, humid conditions are severely reducing yields; growers are culling damaged fruit, but issues may include blemishes, cracking, decay at the blossom end, and uneven color

Roma and Vine Ripe Tomatoes

• Culiacan, Mexico (into Nogales, Arizona and South Texas) is the main winter production region
• Active fall storms pushed back the start dates of many crops
• Cherry and grape tomatoes are limited; Roma and vine ripe varieties have started arriving into Nogales and South Texas, but not enough to cover strong East Coast demand
• Production should increase by mid-January

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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