US (FL): Strong demand for Florida vegetables
The yearly economic benefits of just these four vegetables totals over a billion dollars.
Tomatoes: 32,000 acres planted last year; 29,000 acres harvest yielding an economic benefit of $630 million.
Bell peppers: 18,800 acres planted last year; 17,700 acres harvested yielding an economic benefit of $295 million.
Snap beans: 36,400 acres planted last year; 32,200 acres harvested yielding an economic benefit of $135 million.
Cucumbers: 12,000 acres planted last year; 11,600 acres harvested yielding an economic benefit of $47.8 million.
Due to the snap bean's (also known as green beans) adaptability, its availability is year-round, while tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers are generally harvested during warmer summer months. These four vegetable crops are now in the major production months of March, April and May.
"Overall, Florida appears in very good shape," said Sterling Ivey, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture. "We are seeing a strong supply and demand of cucumbers, snap beans and bell peppers, with each of these commodities well above where we were this time last year.
"Tomatoes also have a good supply and demand and are on track to exceed last year's shipments," said Ivey, who mentioned that our year-round growing season also helps make for strong economic benefits on a nationwide level.
Florida is the only state that grows, on a large scale, tomatoes during the winter period, though there were problems for winter production last year as state growers had to contend with two severe freezes and weeks of continual cold weather, in what turned out to be the coldest ever Jan-Mar period since records began 116 years ago.
During the cold snap around 70% of tomotoes were wiped out. Peppers, beans and squash were also damaged. Many plants froze and subsequently died. Some estimates claimed there was a total of $115 million in crop damages due to the cold snap.
This year the weather outlook is more promising, though there may be less rainfall.
According to National Oceanic Atmospheric Association, "Although a wet late summer and early fall rainy season greatly eased drought conditions across the Florida peninsula, the return of La Niña continues to favour drought development and persistence in central and south Florida."
NOAA said the probabilities of below median rainfall for March, April and May "are greater than 50 percent across most of peninsular Florida."
This is Florida's normal dry season — winter to early spring.
Source: www2.tbo.com
