Supplies of imported Yuca are “hit or miss” as the end of the year gets closer.
“But we’re now starting to get good volumes from Costa Rica,” says Rubens Zylberkan of A&B Tropical Produce LLC in Miami, FL. “Supplies are at about the same levels as last year and it had been pretty consistent. There haven’t been any gaps in the last few months.”
The recent inconsistency seems to be attributed to logistics. “There are a lot of issues with all the vessels coming in. We’ve even heard vessels from Costa Rica or Ecuador stopping at other countries like Panama drop off containers and then they wait for another boat to show up. It’s been a huge issue affecting supply and demand,” Zylberkan says.
Holiday item
That’s leaving demand feeling strong on the root vegetable, an item that is popular with the Hispanic population. “It’s a good item for the end of the year for the market. But what comes in, goes right out,” he says, noting Yuca products are also being found in larger retailers as well more and more.
Altogether, this left some pressures on pricing. “Usually at this time of the year it’s around $13-$14 maybe $15. In the last few weeks it’s been as high as $18-$19,” Zylberkan says, noting pricing is coming back down to around $15-$16 where he thinks it may hold steady.
For more information:
Rubens Zylberkan
A&B Tropical Produce LLC
Tel: +1 (305) 805-1530
[email protected]
https://abtropical.com/