Market Information
Last Update: 1/17/11
Turkish Pinenut Kernels (January 17, 2011): The market for Mediterranean Pinenut Kernels remains steady and strong, particularly in Turkey. Quality remains good, but with tight supplies at origin it is increasingly difficult to source additional inventories. We recommend that clients for this item plan their purchasing well in advance for the remainder of this marketing year. ~ verne@glit.com
Turkish Dried Apricots (December 27, 2011): The 2011 Turkish Apricot crop has now had 5 full months of shipments. Export tonnage for 2011 Turkish Apricots has been running at 10-12% above levels for 2010, which we consider to be less than adequate to maintain the current price levels. Another bearish factor for apricots is the currency outlook – the Turkish Lira has declined from 1.5/$1 to 1.89/$1 in the past 3 months; if this new level holds, it should result in somewhat lower prices going forward. On the other hand, there are many other variables to consider when forecasting future prices: a) larger sizes are short, so they will be at a premium, b) Turkish speculators hold a considerable tonnage of raw material, and it is difficult to know what their attitude will be prior to the new crop outlook, c) roads to remote Turkish villages may be mostly closed for the next 2 months, so stocks in remote warehouses can be basically “off the market” until spring… ~ verne@glit.com
Sun-Dried Tomatoes (December 27, 2011): Both the Turkish and the Chinese crops for 2011 are virtually sold out at origin. There are still occasional offers of unsulfured tomatoes, but for bright red sulfured goods, the supplies are extremely limited, and prices are moving higher in anticipation of strong sales during the spring and summer months. We recommend that customers cover their spring/summer needs for Sun-dried Tomatoes as soon as possible. ~ verne@glit.com
Turkish Dried Figs (December 27, 2011): The Turkish fig harvest was excellent this season – tonnage was higher than for 2010, price increases were very moderate, and the arrival quality from our shippers has been very consistent and very good. We have also had excellent demand for both packaged and bulk figs since the first fig arrivals in late October; if the demand continues at the present rates, there will be shortages in the market by early spring. One special note – Ramadan in 2012 will be celebrated in mid-summer, and there is always strong world-wide demand for dried figs during the Ramadan season. Be certain that your retail and bulk needs are covered for Ramadan well in advance of this Muslim holiday month… ~ verne@glit.com
Dehydrated Garlic (December 9, 2011): Garlic sales have been very good. (Powder, Minced, and Granules). If you can use bulk garlic we are very interested in expanding this market. Give us a call at 231.947.2141. ~ denny@glit.com
Thai Sweet Pineapple (December 9, 2011): The flood does not seem to have had an effect on the pineapple crop. We are told that almost all of the plantations are on higher ground. Prices have been very steady, but there may be a 40% increase in minimum wage in Thailand soon. If this happens, prices for all tropical fruits will go up slightly. ~ denny@glit.com
Thai Sweet Mango (December 9th, 2011): We do not have news about if the floods affected the mango crop yet for sure. The crop will be harvested in March/April and appears to be OK, but will need a few more weeks to evaluate. Currently prices are steady, and supply is good. ~ denny@glit.com
Thai Dried Ginger (December 9th, 2011): The ginger crop is in and supply is better. Prices have been coming down since the new crop is starting to arrive. We expect the price to continue down slowly for the next several weeks. ~ denny@glit.com
Pinenut Kernels (December 9th, 2011): Prices in China were steadily dropping for several months, and just when importers were starting to get back in to ordering significant quantities, the market jumped dramatically in a matter of days. Any contracts that were not shipped were defaulted on and price went up very quickly and importers withdrew. Once again the Chinese managed to screw up a market that was starting to recover after 18 months of incredibly high prices. Prices in China seem to have leveled off at these higher prices, but stocks in USA are still short. The saga continues……~ denny@glit.com
Turkish Roasted/Salted Pistachios (December 9th, 2011): New Crop just arrived and we have plenty of stock in warehouse. If you are not familiar with this item, they are very flavorful pistachio, but are typically more expensive that the California pistachios. Inventory has been moving briskly for the holidays. ~ denny@glit.com
Chinese/Mexican Peeled Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) (December 9th, 2011): Chinese Pepita prices are steady. Supplies are good. Mexican Pepitas are very hard to find in the USA, and prices are very high. Almost all customers have switched back to Chinese because of the huge price difference. ~ denny@glit.com
USA Dried Blueberries (December 9th, 2011): Blueberry prices are VERY high. Fresh blueberries were expensive this year and once dried the price goes up very quickly. We expect prices to remain high until new crop in Aug/Sept. ~ denny@glit.com
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.
verne @ glit.com |
george @ glit.com |
dennym @ glit.com |
