Supplies of broccoli from California have been low this season due to a combination of weather events this winter. Warm weather gave way to cold weather late last year, and the subsequent freeze cut supplies down and contributed to high prices.
“The broccoli market is currently in a demand exceeds supply position,” said Ben Wilson of Coastline Produce in Salinas, California. He cited a decrease in their supplies from the Imperial Valley as the biggest reason for the tight market.
“We had fall temperatures that were about 10 degrees warmer than normal, so the season was rushed forward,” said Wilson. “As soon as we had freezing temperatures, that put the smaller stuff on hold and we went from having too much to sell to having a gap.” That's caused prices to rise, with the gap between demand and supply being significant enough to cause spikes in prices.
“The price for broccoli is skyrocketing right now,” said Wilson. He added that although it's not unusual to have dips in supply, the current dip will likely last longer than usual, and it's not exclusive to just broccoli, but also to other winter vegetables.
“We always have tight spells in the winter time, but I think this one is particularly tough because it's across the board with all items,” said Wilson. “It's a solid three weeks of shortage. Normally, supplies will go up and down, but we'll have shortages for the entire month of January this year.”