There is a steady, ample supply of quality watermelons at the moment coming in from the Nogales, Arizona region. "In California, in the next week or two we'll have supply to overlap with some of that," says Dennis Peterson of Riverbend Fresh LLC.
Early reports indicate that the plantings of watermelon are up a bit in Arizona this season which means more plentiful supply could come on as June gets closer.
Back in California, harvest may be a few days late thanks to the cooler weather earlier this season. "However everything seems to be catching up here now. I would say it's a pretty smooth start," says Peterson.
On the watermelons, sizing seems to be running average though more will be known this week on sizing. "Watermelons tend to start on the larger side on the first pick so even if we end up with smaller sizes to start, it will probably be more in line with what retail wants anyways," says Peterson.
Good watermelon movement
As for demand, it seems very good and the movement is good. "We were able to get the retails down to a normal level here over the last few weeks so demand is cruising right along with it and keeping supply going," says Peterson, noting that in the Western region, retail pricing that's under $10 generally moves pretty well. "It seems like there's been more consistent consumer demand over the past few years."
Looking ahead, he anticipates pricing to stay where it is. "There's a fair amount planted and I think we have an increased supply compared to normal out of the desert region," he says. Once the Central California region gets underway, there may be a few supply hiccups due to factors such as adverse weather and more. "Then it's going to kick right back in by mid-July with a ton of fruit in August out of everywhere."
That means if there is a chance of a market incline, it may be right before July 4th and if it happens, it's likely to be just a short dip and then bouncing back following strengthening supply by mid-July to the end of August.
For more information:
Dennis Peterson
Riverbend Fresh LLC.
Tel: +1 (559) 846-3320
[email protected]
http://riverbendfresh.com