California's West Side melon deal is all but over, as harvesting has transitioned to desert areas in Arizona. With storms affecting production in the desert regions, supplies are light and prices are strong.“Volume on the West Side deal was about normal this year,” said Rodney Van Bebber of Pappas Produce. “Even though production was down, we had pretty much the same volume because of better yields.” Warm, dry conditions throughout the summer helped with yields, and there were few issues with quality or sizing of fruit. Supplies are now transitioning to desert regions in Arizona, and adverse weather there has made for a tight market.
“Arizona had some storms that brought an extreme amount of rain,” said Van Bebber. “That hurt the Arizona deal and that hurt the Mexican deal. Right now, there's a demand exceeds supply market.” He noted that prices have gotten up to about $18.00 for a carton of cantaloupes. That short market is expected to continue until imports begin to arrive from Central and South America.
“Imports usually arrive in mid-November,” said Van Bebber. “But we might have some supplies earlier than that because the market is so short.”
For more information:
Rodney Van Bebber
Pappas Produce
+1 559 655 4277