The pineapple season out of Veracruz, Mexico has just begun. Gustavo Dominguez of La Minita Fresh shares: “It takes about nine months for the fruit to complete growing so we’re at the start of our new crop right now. The season usually starts around the end of August and we started right on time this year. The season will run up to May.”
High prices in market
As it is the beginning of the season, the volumes coming out of Mexico are still low right now. Dominguez says: “We are seeing volumes of about one load per week, which is not unusual for the beginning of the season. When it starts ramping up a bit more, then we’ll have around five loads per week. We should start seeing these higher volumes in the next two to three weeks.”
As is usual when there’s lower volumes on the market, the prices for the Mexican pineapples are high right now. “We are seeing good prices, because everyone is just starting up right now. Costa Rica is also supplying the market with higher volumes, and their pricing is lower than the Mexican pricing right now,” Dominguez says.
Cloudy weather keeps pineapples green
The weather in Veracruz has been very rainy in the past weeks, which affects the coloring of the pineapples. “The pineapples need sunshine to become yellow,” Dominguez explains. “Right now, we are receiving green pineapples, which still have a great sugar level and overall quality, but there are customers who specifically look for the yellow pineapples and don’t want to buy the green ones.” Once the sun starts shining again in Veracruz, the pineapples should start to turn yellow within only a few days.
Pandemic causes unpredictable market
While the pandemic has been ongoing for the majority of this year, it continues to cause unpredictability in the markets. “The market is just not the same as it usually is. There are days that are really slow, and then there are days that are really busy but there’s no pattern to it – and it turns around really quickly. It’s a little worrying, but we are continuing to sell, and we know we’re not the only ones dealing with this, everyone is seeing similar situations. It’s just a unique year this year,” Dominguez concludes.
For more information:
Gustavo Dominguez
La Minita Fresh
Tel: +1 956 843 4717
Email: gdominguez@laminitafresh.com
www.laminitafresh.com