Bondi Produce Market Report March 21st 2023

Overview:

In South Florida and Mexico, we continue to see steady supply on slicer cucumber, green squash, and tomatoes. Corn market is slowly easing back into steady production as shippers break new fields. The hot pepper market seems to be slowly improving with Serrano and Anaheim being the highest priced and shortest available. Honeydew and cantaloupe have become quite a challenge due to cooler weather and will most likely not improve until mid-late March.

California is receiving another round of significant rainfall that is impacting Central California, which includes the Salinas Valley, Pajaro Valley (Watsonville), Santa Maria and the San Joaquin Valley (Fresno and Bakersfield). The Salinas River exceeded flood stage, and a levee broke on the Pajaro River, both causing Moderate to Major flooding in fields that had already been planted in both the Salinas Valley and the Pajaro Valley. This could significantly affect the Spring crops that had already been planted, and will also affect fields that were ready to be planted that growers will not be able to get into until they dry out.

At this time, grower/shippers are reporting that this will affect the spring crops, but they will not be able to report the total impact until they can get back into the fields after the rain stops and assess the full impact of the rain and flooding.

Please Note: This rain is NOT affecting current supplies coming from the Desert growing regions of CA and Yuma, AZ. The impact will be felt when we transition from the Desert, back up to Salinas and Santa Maria, starting next month and into the first of May, and most likely extending into the month of June.