The supply of tomatoes in the U.S. will tighten up as some of the more local deals come to an end. "At this time of year, there's late crop from regions such as Michigan, New Jersey, and Tennessee. Tomatoes are one of their last field crops and they will go until the first frost," says Roger Riehm of Blue Creek Produce. "That will likely be in the next two to three weeks."
At the same time, the supply of tomatoes from Mexico is steady. "Recently, following tariff news, many growers from Mexico had to renew their permits which caused a bit of a delay in some supply, though they're largely past that now," he says.
Canada has also been supplying the East Coast with a strong tomato volume, particularly on greenhouse tomatoes. "They're a strong player like most years for the East Coast and will be for the next few months," says Riehm.
© Blue Creek
Supply anticipated to stay stable
This means the supply of tomatoes is expected to stay stable on rounds and romas. "Grape tomatoes seem to be a bit of a tough item–there are plenty and pricing has been less per pound than rounds and romas," he adds.
With those local deals winding down, pricing has already started to pick up in the last week and looking ahead, it's expected to continue to strengthen. "Pricing has been a lot lower this year, especially over the last couple of months," says Riehm. "It's been a weak year and for a lot of growers, very confusing."
Adding to that confusion is the state of demand for tomatoes. "It seems off compared to previous years. It's the weakest we've seen in a long time, as it has been for a number of items. I think demand will get stronger as the Midwest and East Coast weather changes and has cooler nights and the tomatoes will come to the end of their season," says Riehm. He adds that from the end of October until the middle of November, when Florida begins supplying tomatoes, demand for tomatoes will largely be met by Mexican supply which will now have the new 17 percent tariff following the termination of the U.S.-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement in mid-July.
For more information:
Roger Riehm
Blue Creek Produce
Tel: +1 (630) 513-3075
[email protected]
https://bluecreekproduce.com/
