Imported figs from Mexico are proving to be a healthy-sized crop. “Supply is really good—we’ve got a really good crop, a second crop, coming out of Mexico,” says Mario Masellis of Mississauga, Ont.-based Catania Worldwide, noting that the crop could go through to the end of April and possibly into early May. And while the size of the crop is approximately that same as 2016’s, Catania is seeing some larger-sized fruit coming out of the region right now. That said, Mexico isn’t perhaps the most common place to grow figs at this time of year. “We discovered this microclimate in Mexico a few years ago to grow figs in the winter months,” says Masellis. “And the competition is coming out of the Southern Hemisphere right now. So those supplying figs would be South Africa, Chile, Israel and Turkey—anywhere in the Middle East that would grow them.”
Pricing proves stable
But with a regularly-sized crop producing regularly-sized yields weekly, prices have been equally constant on this fruit. “Prices have been stable because the supply is there,” says Masellis. “But growing in Mexico has helped lower prices because it’s just a truck ride away versus air freight from the southern hemisphere,” Masellis adds.
That said, Catania may see a push in fig demand come Easter. “Figs are still viewed generally as a special festive item,” says Masellis. It also still carries the perception that it’s a tropical item. “So a lot of retailers can be apprehensive about carrying it regularly because of the perishability factor,” he adds. That said, he notes that retailers of all sorts—from discount banners to high-end grocers—choose to carry it if they’re in larger urban centres surrounded by multicultural populations.
For your information:
Mario Masellis
Catania Worldwide
Tel: +1-416-236-9394
sales@cataniaworldwide.com
http://www.cataniaworldwide.com/