Mexican cucumbers see pressure coming from US and Canada
“With the number of growers who put second plantings in, you’re going to see crops through the middle of May up to the end of May, just depending on the temperatures,” says JC Myers with Fresh Alliance, LLC based in Carmel, Ca. “We haven’t seen any triple-digit temperatures weather wise and that’s the first thing to take a crop down. So it’s been a nice growing window finish in Mexico.”
That also could be adding to the slight shift being seen in the marketplace right now. “That Mexican production could be staying in place longer than it typically would,” says Myers. “But it feels like the overall market is feeling a totally different supply pressure. It feels like there’s more production available from the US and Canada and it has been so for at least two weeks.”
Even demand
Demand in the meantime continues to be steady. “There’s demand and there’s been some ad activity,” says Myers. “That’s what you need when you’ve got this kind of supply situation.”
That puts pricing at a relatively flat pace. “As an average, it’s probably 25-30 percent off of last year’s pricing,” says Myers, who also notes that price can’t directly be compared to last year’s situation. “The quality last year was significantly different so we saw a much wider band of pricing. I think it was really quality-driven.”
Looking ahead, Myers says he sees a few larger Mexican growers exiting the marketplace in the coming weeks. “And I see some with new crops with very good quality staying in play and hoping for maybe slightly better return once those bigger players do exit,” he says. “As long as the temperatures stay as they have, you’ll see Mexican supply through to the middle of next month and perhaps even all the way to the end.”
For more information:
JC Myers
Fresh Alliance, LLC
Tel: +1 (888) 257-1941
jc@freshalliancellc.com
www.freshalliancellc.com