Hurricane Dean crop damage in Mexico mixed
Hurricane Dean crop damage in Mexico mixed
In Mexico, Hurricane Dean dealt a sizable blow to limes, but its effects on other crops appear to be negligible or non-existent.
J.B. Cutsinger, who oversees the lime program for Burlingame, CA-based Splendid Products LLC, said that Splendid's limes, grown in Veracruz on Mexico's eastern border, took "a good hit" from the storm.
"It takes a few days to assess the damage," Mr. Cutsinger said. "I guarantee that at least 50 percent of the crop was damaged." Splendid grows limes year round in the Veracruz area.
"We were well into this particular crop," Mr. Cutsinger said. "It hit the bloom, and that will affect our next crop in the winter." He said that it was much too soon to know the extent of the effects on the winter crop and that it would likely take another week before he would have a better handle on the current damage.
"The market is $24 to $26 f.o.b." for 200s and 175s, he said. "By winter, the market could be $50-$60."
Mr. Cutsinger said that packingsheds in Veracruz have been damaged. "Some sheds lost their roofs," he said. "Some lost electricity." It may be weeks before some packingsheds are fully operational again.
The stretch from August through October has been a good market for limes in the past few years. The market was setting up well again when Hurricane Dean hit, Mr. Cutsinger said.
The hurricane did not do much damage to Splendid's mango program, he noted.
Other lime producers in Mexico may not have been hit as hard by Hurricane Dean as was Splendid. Lime buyer Joe Flores estimated the overall damage to the lime crop in Veracruz to be about 20 percent of the current crop. "It depends on the area," Mr. Flores said. "It will be a couple of weeks to get electricity back."
Charles Ciruli III, chief executive officer of Nogales, AZ-based Ciruli Bros. LLC, had just entered into a lime program in the Veracruz area. As a result of the hurricane, Ciruli's crop will be delayed. "Our [lime] program will start sometime in the next month," he said.
Compounding the lime problems at present is the fact that the orchards are in mountainous areas and areas with dirt roads that have been flooded, thus inhibiting access to the orchards, Mr. Ciruli said.
Avocado production worldwide has faced various weather-related challenges this year.
Anaheim, CA-based Prime Produce International LLC specializes in avocado production, and Avi Crane, president and CEO of Prime Produce, said that a few months of above-normal rainfall in Mexico's central western state of Michoacan has delayed the maturity of avocados there. "Hurricane Dean didn't damage the trees, but it delayed the harvest," Mr. Crane said. "In mid- September, we'll have ample and consistent supplies from Mexico and Chile."
Allison Moore from the Nogales, AZ-based Fresh Produce Association of the America's said that Hurricane Dean should have no effect on Mexico's fall and winter vegetable and melon deals.
In northwest Mexico, the rain from Hurricane Dean came too early for plantings, and the area "won't see the effect down the road," Ms. Moore said, adding that she had not heard of damage to mangos in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora.
A report that attributed statements to a representative at the Agricultural Service of Mexico indicated that overall crop losses in Veracruz are considerable. According to the report, cultivation of bananas -- 12,300 acres -- was destroyed, with citrus losses between 5 percent and 35 percent. Among citrus, losses are calculated at 70,000 tons of oranges, 40,000 tons of Persian lemons and 60,000 tons of grapefruits.
The papaya crop in Belize suffered significant losses from Hurricane Dean. Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Homestead, FL-based Brooks Tropicals LLC, said that Brooks is still assessing damage to its papaya crop, but she noted that signs are more encouraging than the company initially thought. "Our initial assessment was six to eight months to get back to normal," Ms. Ostlund said. "We'll definitely be back in February 2008 -- six months." She said that fruit would be back in December.
One-third of Brooks Tropicals' papaya acreage is young acreage that tends to survive storm conditions better than older trees, Ms. Ostlund said. Within a week of Hurricane Dean hitting Belize, Brooks Tropicals already was moving along with its recovery. It began re-planting stock from its nursery on Tuesday, Aug. 28. The company has been doing research and development on prime plants in its nursery stock, so even though January and February may be down or lost months, the company anticipates its papaya production in 2008 to be its highest ever, Ms. Ostlund said.
When Hurricane Dean hit, Brooks Tropicals was in the process of building a new packinghouse and headquarters in Belize that is up to hurricane code. The company also is putting the final touches on a new custom-built packing machine that will be in place in Belize by Thanksgiving.
J.B. Cutsinger, who oversees the lime program for Burlingame, CA-based Splendid Products LLC, said that Splendid's limes, grown in Veracruz on Mexico's eastern border, took "a good hit" from the storm.
"It takes a few days to assess the damage," Mr. Cutsinger said. "I guarantee that at least 50 percent of the crop was damaged." Splendid grows limes year round in the Veracruz area.
"We were well into this particular crop," Mr. Cutsinger said. "It hit the bloom, and that will affect our next crop in the winter." He said that it was much too soon to know the extent of the effects on the winter crop and that it would likely take another week before he would have a better handle on the current damage.
"The market is $24 to $26 f.o.b." for 200s and 175s, he said. "By winter, the market could be $50-$60."
Mr. Cutsinger said that packingsheds in Veracruz have been damaged. "Some sheds lost their roofs," he said. "Some lost electricity." It may be weeks before some packingsheds are fully operational again.
The stretch from August through October has been a good market for limes in the past few years. The market was setting up well again when Hurricane Dean hit, Mr. Cutsinger said.
The hurricane did not do much damage to Splendid's mango program, he noted.
Other lime producers in Mexico may not have been hit as hard by Hurricane Dean as was Splendid. Lime buyer Joe Flores estimated the overall damage to the lime crop in Veracruz to be about 20 percent of the current crop. "It depends on the area," Mr. Flores said. "It will be a couple of weeks to get electricity back."
Charles Ciruli III, chief executive officer of Nogales, AZ-based Ciruli Bros. LLC, had just entered into a lime program in the Veracruz area. As a result of the hurricane, Ciruli's crop will be delayed. "Our [lime] program will start sometime in the next month," he said.
Compounding the lime problems at present is the fact that the orchards are in mountainous areas and areas with dirt roads that have been flooded, thus inhibiting access to the orchards, Mr. Ciruli said.
Avocado production worldwide has faced various weather-related challenges this year.
Anaheim, CA-based Prime Produce International LLC specializes in avocado production, and Avi Crane, president and CEO of Prime Produce, said that a few months of above-normal rainfall in Mexico's central western state of Michoacan has delayed the maturity of avocados there. "Hurricane Dean didn't damage the trees, but it delayed the harvest," Mr. Crane said. "In mid- September, we'll have ample and consistent supplies from Mexico and Chile."
Allison Moore from the Nogales, AZ-based Fresh Produce Association of the America's said that Hurricane Dean should have no effect on Mexico's fall and winter vegetable and melon deals.
In northwest Mexico, the rain from Hurricane Dean came too early for plantings, and the area "won't see the effect down the road," Ms. Moore said, adding that she had not heard of damage to mangos in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora.
A report that attributed statements to a representative at the Agricultural Service of Mexico indicated that overall crop losses in Veracruz are considerable. According to the report, cultivation of bananas -- 12,300 acres -- was destroyed, with citrus losses between 5 percent and 35 percent. Among citrus, losses are calculated at 70,000 tons of oranges, 40,000 tons of Persian lemons and 60,000 tons of grapefruits.
The papaya crop in Belize suffered significant losses from Hurricane Dean. Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Homestead, FL-based Brooks Tropicals LLC, said that Brooks is still assessing damage to its papaya crop, but she noted that signs are more encouraging than the company initially thought. "Our initial assessment was six to eight months to get back to normal," Ms. Ostlund said. "We'll definitely be back in February 2008 -- six months." She said that fruit would be back in December.
One-third of Brooks Tropicals' papaya acreage is young acreage that tends to survive storm conditions better than older trees, Ms. Ostlund said. Within a week of Hurricane Dean hitting Belize, Brooks Tropicals already was moving along with its recovery. It began re-planting stock from its nursery on Tuesday, Aug. 28. The company has been doing research and development on prime plants in its nursery stock, so even though January and February may be down or lost months, the company anticipates its papaya production in 2008 to be its highest ever, Ms. Ostlund said.
When Hurricane Dean hit, Brooks Tropicals was in the process of building a new packinghouse and headquarters in Belize that is up to hurricane code. The company also is putting the final touches on a new custom-built packing machine that will be in place in Belize by Thanksgiving.
