Production has begun in Jalisco, Mexico on raspberries. Produce Lovers has started with its Clarita variety and is seeing a steady supply that’s limited for now but has good quality. “This variety is fairly new so last season we had small commercial production of it and this year we’re expecting a lot more as farms are developing and planting more of this variety,” says Gerardo López of Produce Lovers. “We’re expecting this variety to expand rapidly.”
In terms of growing, the season in Jalisco has been a dry one. “We haven’t had a lot of rain so those are good conditions for raspberry quality--it’s also been hot because it hasn’t been raining,” he says. Production will stay in that region until the end of May or the beginning of June.
Blueberries and raspberries
Meanwhile, demand is strong for raspberries, which can be a challenge to meet at times. “As the availability of blueberries has been very limited, that is affecting demand on all other berries in a good way meaning retailers must have full shelves. So the demand for blackberries and raspberries is healthy,” says López. “I think it will be a season with a shortage of blueberries overall so demand for raspberries should be high.”
Where this is all leaving pricing is on the higher side. Usually, pricing is softer in the fourth quarter for raspberries but it doesn’t look like that this year. “Demand is good and therefore pricing is high--not extremely high, but high,” says López. “I think we will see higher prices starting in January. Prices usually starts increasing then and because of the lack of blueberries, once the peak of Peru is done, we should expect more demand on all other berries.”
For more information:
Gerardo López
Produce Lovers
Tel: +1 (305) 407 3891
gerardo.lopez@producelovers.com
https://www.producelovers.com/