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Frozen Foods International News
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| California Strawberry Harvest Gears Up, With More than 12 Million Pounds Going to Freezers |
This week California strawberry growers delivered over seven-
million crates to the fresh market and over 12 million pounds to
the freezer, Peter Skolnick, president of Imperial Frozen Foods,
reported in the company's May 3 newsletter.
"Good demand for fresh strawberries has created a relatively
late start for the processor berries," noted Skolnick.
"California processors have started quoting prices on the spot
market. The slow start has made them somewhat tentative. Most
are about .04 pound or about 5% higher than opening prices
last year. It is still too early to tell. Once volume kicks
in, anything can happen."
The Californian reports "Strawberry harvesting begins" in the
Salinas Valley.
Meanwhile, until recently California was not a factor in the
fresh or frozen blueberry business. The spike in pricing has
created a window of opportunity for fruit farmers in the state
to enter this lucrative market. Some 74% of the blueberries
grown in California go to the fresh market at a time of year
that there is little competition. The 26% that go to processing
is also early compared to the rest of the nation. With 3,900
acres and over 7,000 pounds per acre, California has emerged as
a player. |
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| 03-May-12 |
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