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Market Information |
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Market Information |
Sun-dried Tomatoes (March 25, 2010) - demand for sun-dried tomatoes continues to expand. The 2010 crop has been planted in Turkey, and at the moment the general condition of the crop is favorable.
Turkish Dried Apricots (April 1, 2010) - The Malatya Region produces 95% of Turkey's sun-dried sweet "Mediterranean" apricots. Normally, the blossom time for apricots begins about April 1st, and depending on orchard elevations lasts through the end of the month. This season, the flowers came rather early, with 60% of trees in full bloom by March 19th. Unfortunately, a cold air mass settled over the region from March 18th- 25th. This cold wave yielded below freezing temperatures for as many as 5 nights, and there is little doubt that the apricot orchards sustained significant damage as a result. It will be impossible to have an accurate assessment of the damage for another two weeks; meantime the frost-free date for Malatya is generally assumed to be May 1st, so there remains the potential for additional bad news. We received initial reports that the Turkish Pistachio crop, centered around Gaziantep, would be effected by this cold wave also - fortunately, it seems that the cold did not reach as far south as Gaziantep, and Pistachios have apparently been spared.
THAILAND ORIGIN PRODUCTS
TROPICAL FRUITS: All fruits that we sell that are processed in Thailand are firming in price. The world sugar price is very high and our processors contract for their needs in January for the year. There is a lot of sugar used in these items and prices are firming. (Mango, Pineapple, Papaya, Guava, Kiwi, Strawberries, Ginger, Cantaloupe, Starfruit…)
Thai Pineapple (March 25, 2010) - New crop pineapple is short. Canners in Thailand typically use the majority of the pineapple that is grown. Their plants are usually open from December to May/June. There is speculation that plants will close in Late March/April this year because of pineapple shortage. Prices are firm and we expect there to be shortages of Rings and Core by the end of summer/fall. New crop starts to arrive in late Dec.
Thai Papaya (March 25, 2010) - papaya (no color added) is VERY short and may run out before new crop arrives in the fall. Most Papaya is produced from varieties that are not red, and these seem to be plentiful.
Thai Mango Slices (March 25, 2010) - : New crop mango is just reaching the dehydrators now. New crop will be available in USA in May. The crop is smaller than last year and prices will be firm. Since Mango is harvested only once a year there should be plenty of inventory once new crop arrives, but there may be shortages next spring. We also expect to see more of the less expensive variety, Choakannun. This is a good looking fruit, but has no flavor. When we have sampled our customer's in the past they have all refused. Be careful what you are purchasing.
Thai Dried Strawberries (March 25, 2010) - Strawberries from Thailand continue to sell well. Every year there are much less expensive strawberries offered from China, but quality is very poor. Our business continues to increase despite the price difference between Thai and Chinese.
Please phone us with your questions or comments at 800.342.0101. Alternatively, please feel free to contact us via e-mail at the addresses listed below.
Copyright ©2009 Great Lakes International Trading, Inc. All rights reserved.
Verne Powell
verne@glit.comGeorge Powell
george@glit.comDenny Malone
dennym@glit.com