“The supply is moderate—similar to last year,” says Bob Polovneff of Castroville, Ca.-based Ocean Mist Farms. “This year’s season is on time and currently fennel is coming out of Castroville and the Monterey County area. However, fennel will be coming out of Coachella soon. Castroville’s fennel season starts in March and runs till the end of October, then Coachella comes in to fill in the gap.”
Competition for fennel seems to be centered around the same regions—Monterey County and Southern California.
Demand likely to lift
Meanwhile demand for the aromatic, traditionally Italian vegetable, also known as “Sweet Anise” is coming from the East Coast and Canada and consumption looks to remain steady for now. “Though the expectation is that the market is slowly rise and supply will also rise with it prior to the holiday season,” says Polovneff. “The biggest challenge is keeping the product moving when the supplies rise.”
For now that puts prices in a steady holding situation. “Prices are in the mid-teens, steady with where the market has been for a few weeks now,” Polovneff. “More often than not, the price remains steady.”
For more information:
Bob Polovneff
Ocean Mist Farms
Tel: +1- 831-633-2144
[email protected]
www.oceanmist.com
