The supply of papayas is somewhat limited, but not scarce. "There's not an abundance of fruit. There was some cool weather in Mexico two to three months ago that caused the fruit to have a lot of marks or spots. A lot of fruit is having to be thrown away because it doesn't make export quality and that's limiting the supply of fruit available," says Lance Peterson of Super Starr International.
That said, the supply situation is expected to improve in the next couple of weeks.
While Mexico is shipping the majority of papaya into the U.S., there is also some supply out of Central America.
Summer papaya demand
Meeting that more limited supply is very good demand for papaya–demand that is up slightly from last year at this time. "When a lot of the stone fruit supply comes off, typically demand for papayas comes off a little bit. However, the base demand for papayas seems to be very solid and steady," says Peterson.
To help boost consumption and ultimately demand for papaya, the industry is working with the USDA on forming a national papaya board within the next year or so.
As for pricing, it's a bit above average due to the limited quantity of fruit. "I think it'll stay fairly steady–I don't foresee any drastic swings in pricing," says Peterson.
For more information:
Lance Peterson
Super Starr International
Tel: +1 (956) 510-8126
[email protected]
www.superstarrinternational.com