Cantaloupe production continues to be steady for product coming into North America.
Currently, there’s no shortage of supplies coming in from offshore regions such as Honduras and Guatemala. “I’m still seeing plenty of import melons coming in,” says Justin Bootz with Legend Produce LLC in Scottsdale, Az., noting the import season is likely to run through to early May.
Meanwhile quality and sizing is standard on available cantaloupes. “We’ve got the whole range from Jumbo 6s all the way to 12s, we have 15s in the East Coast so sizing is normal,” says Bootz.
Demand though has been flat overall. “There aren’t a lot of ups and downs on the market in the past month or two and not a lot of ups and downs with demand. Flat is the best word I can use to describe it,” says Bootz. “We’re still keeping product moving at a decent pace but there’s very little demand so people who have programmed or contract business are definitely fortunate to have those right now.”
Pricing slightly down
“Prices have been very steady for the last month or month and a half and it’s just coinciding with the lack of demand,” says Bootz. “Prices have not fluctuated very much because of how steady the supply has been.”
Looking ahead, Bootz doesn’t anticipate any changes as long as there are no changes with the second growing cycle, which should begin in another week, or production in Central America. “I don’t see any reason for the market to improve. I hope it does but right now I don’t have anything that would indicate that,” he adds.
For more information:
Justin Bootz
Legend Produce
Tel: +1 (623) 298-3782
justin@legendproduce.com
www.legendproduce.com