Good demand for strawberries and light supplies have made for good prices for growers in California this season.“The market is pretty solid,” said Cindy Jewell, vice president of marketing for California Giant Berry Farms. “There's not a lot of fruit on the market right now, and demand is keeping up. So it's an advantage for growers to stay in the market right now.” As of November 7, prices for a flat of medium to large strawberries out of Santa Maria and Oxnard were between $18.00 and $20.00.
“We had some rain about a week ago that briefly cut off production in Santa Maria, but growers are back to harvesting,” said Jewell. “They started early there in September because of warm weather, and that continued warm weather means plants are still producing and quality is still good.”
Demand for blackberries has also been good, with prices for a flat of berries coming into California from Mexico between $10.00 and $12.00 as of November 7. There is some production in California that is supplying the market as supplies from Mexico ramp up.
For more information:
Cindy Jewell
California Giant Berry Farms
+1 831 728 1965
