Cantaloupe growers on the western part of the San Joaquin Valley are experiencing a dip in production because of showers that hit fields in early May. The storms halted planting at that time, and the effects of that are just now being felt.“You can't plant if it's raining,” explained Jim Malanca with Westside Produce in Firebaugh, California. “The rain also stops growth of what's been recently planted, so seeds that hadn't germinated yet didn't grow. That's caused a lull in production.” Each grower was affected to the degree that he was able to deal with the rain and the specifics of his planting schedule, but the overall effect, according to Malanca, will be fewer cantaloupes harvested this week.
“Demand has been constant, so prices have gone up and down depending on what's available,” he said. “The market will firm up a little because there's less fruit, but that doesn't mean prices will continue to go up after this lull.” On July 22, prices for a half-carton of 9s were between $6.00 and $8.45, and prices for a half-carton of 15s were between $5.00 and $6.95.
Though constant, demand has been fairly light. Robust competition may be one of the reasons for that.
“There's a lot of pressure from local production in the East,” said Malanca. “They're still buying western fruit, but not at the same volumes, so our daily shipments have not equaled our daily shipments in the past.”
For more information:
Jim Malanca
Westside Produce
+1 559 659 3904