California citrus is expecting a challenging two weeks due to heavy rainfall and high winds. According to the National Weather Service, the storm that started on Sunday could likely produce 24 to 36 hours of continuous rain between Sunday and Tuesday (today). At the time of writing, about 36 million people in the state are under flood watches and close to a million residents have lost power. “During this time, harvest of many California produce items will be on hold, including citrus, berries, and leafy greens,” says Jason Laffer with TerraFresh Organics in California.
Substituting
Right now, Navel oranges are the main citrus variety being harvested in the Central Valley with the season expected to last until early April. “However, the California season doesn’t come without challenges. There is a lack of small fruit and as a result, some substituting is happening with Mexican oranges for California Navels,” commented Laffer. The current rains will likely cause the California Navel crop to grow even bigger in size. It is expected to be a short season with an estimated finish early April, depending on the weather situation in the next couple of weeks.
Sizes 88, 113, and 138 ct. are lacking in California while availability is more plentiful in Mexico. “As a result, we are seeing stronger demand for our Mexican oranges this season and they are being welcomed with open arms this season,” shared Laffer. For TerraFresh, the Mexican citrus season kicked off with the harvest of Early Sweets (Valencia oranges) back in November. “Quality has been strong and volume consistent. We are now beginning the transition into the True Valencia variety. This season will last from the second week of February until early June.” he commented. The True Valencia variety has a deeper orange color and at the beginning of the season, they are a bit higher in acids, but Brix levels increase as the season progresses. “There is a marketing order in place for Brix to be at a minimum level of 9, but we prefer to be above that,” Laffer shared. Following the Mexican season, will be their California Valencia season which is expected to run through September.
Slow lemon movement
TerraFresh Organics also has a lemon deal out of California that started late December, early January and will run throughout the summer months. “It has been a strange start to the season,” Laffer said. “Movement has been slower than expected, both on organic and conventional lemons. Usually, prices elevate in January, but we are not seeing that this year. Demand is different and it is difficult to understand what is happening. Are people spending their money differently?” Laffer is confident things will improve as we move into February. During the summer month, California-grown lemons mainly stay out west. “We import fruit from Argentina to support our East Coast customer’s needs, beginning in April and running through August, as well as lemons from Mexico from September through December.
Colombian limes
New as of last year is an Organic and Conventional Colombian lime program. “We have a Persian lime supply 52 weeks per year, serving the U.S. East Coast.” For now, distribution is limited to that part of the country. “First, we want to be successful on the East Coast before we explore the West,” Laffer said. With its lime program, TerraFresh looks to fill gaps in the market. “During the months of February, March, and April the lime market gets tight, and we have supply when other regions dry up.”
For more information:
Jason Laffer
TerraFresh Organics
Tel: +1 415-634-8971
jasonl@terrafreshorganics.com
www.terrafreshorganics.com