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Rounds
With the last week in April comes humdrum sales and a booming spring crop on the round tomato front. Domestically, the Palmetto/Ruskin group is officially underway for a strong season of quality fruit. The initial crown picks reveal hearty tomatoes that endured the inclement weather experienced during the planting season earlier this year. With most all growers harvesting crown picks on the plants, sizing trends towards the extra-large varieties, causing a virtually inverted market for now. The Mexican group of shippers also continues to cross large volumes of vine ripe and gas green fruit, with the majority of its sizing matching Florida's crop for now. With such capacious amounts of tomatoes around the marketplace, the only positive arrow in the quailing tomato growers' quiver would be the impending holidays of Cinco de Mayo and Mother's Day. These large food-service events will hopefully spur enough demand to kick off the summer months with a glimmer of hope in an otherwise depressed market.
Romas
Finding equally loose footing this week across the industry is the oblong roma tomato. With Florida producing ample volume for crown picks and Mexico amidst its current seasonal flourish, all sizes are available to buyers at minimal prices. The aforementioned Cinco de Mayo holiday should act as the catalyst needed to bolster this commodity, as the Mexican national market serves as the vanguard for the roma pricing model across North American.
Cherries and grapes
Lastly, the cherry and grape tomato markets remain stagnant on the demand side of the costly economic equation this week. The flushing plants in Florida and Mexico leave these items on the precipice of change, but lacking the proper demand reagent to strengthen pricing currently. Hoping for a proverbial zephyr in the pre-holiday air to create an uptick in demand, many shippers look to any and all outlets for product in order to keep inventories clean.
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Paul Maglio
www.magliocompanies.com
(414) 906-8800
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