Florida’s okra supply will be starting very soon – about two weeks from now. Current supply is imported by air from Choluteca, Honduras to provide consumers with a steady supply year round.
“The main volume of our import program comes in between the months of December through March, and this season we had good supply, steady with past years,” says Marc Holbik of Ecoripe Tropicals. Since the state of Florida has experienced some late cold weather he says harvest may be somewhat delayed but he does expect good supply and quality once they get rolling in mid April.
In addition to the popular Clemson variety, Ecoripe also handles Indian variety okra that’s a darker green and is harvested at a slightly larger size. “While the volumes of the Indian okra are much less compared to the Clemson, they have been increasing every year,” he says. An added benefit of this variety is that it has an excellent shelf life. “Our experience with the Indian okra has shown it to last longer than the Clemson. It’s just a quality of that variety of okra.”
This variety generally sells at a 10-15 percent premium, due to its limited availability in the market, Holbik says. “For both varieties, market pricing is strong right now, and we hope this will continue.”
For more information:
Marc Holbik
Ecoripe Tropicals
Tel: 305.330.5927