The supply of papayas from Mexico is steady right now thanks to good growing conditions. "It had been colder than normal earlier in the year and that held things up but it's better now," says Lance Peterson of Super Starr International.
In fact, the supply of papayas is up somewhat compared to this time last year.
As for demand for papayas, Peterson hopes to see some improvement because it has been inconsistent, though the fruit is moving. Colder temperatures across the country have factored into slower movement on a number of commodities including papayas.
What also could be factoring into demand for papayas is general uncertainty right now–yesterday for instance, tariffs on product coming into the U.S. from Mexico and Canada that were imposed earlier in the week have yet again been put on pause until April 2.
Keeping papayas moving
While the uncertainty factors into demand, Peterson says the fruit needs to keep harvesting. "The fruit is going to come when it comes. There's not a lot we can do–we can maybe prolong it by a day but that's about it," he says. "You just have to wait and see because if you hold it up, then what you have planted later is going to start overlapping."
As for pricing, it is slightly lower than this time last year thanks to the greater supply available right now and Super Starr, like many grower-shippers, awaits word on whether tariffs on Mexican papayas will ultimately need to be applied. Once the issue of tariffs settles, Peterson is optimistic about the papaya market. "I think that's when demand, which is consistent for papayas because it's not just seen as an exotic fruit anymore, will go up. Across the board, we've seen a lot of products, the demand has been weak. I think people are trying to conserve."
For more information:
Lance Peterson
Super Starr International
Tel: +1 (956) 510-8126
[email protected]
www.superstarrinternational.com
