John Groh

EDITOR and PUBLISHER

[email protected]

WASHINGTON -- Produce groups hailed President Obama’s announcement that a deal had been struck over the Mexico cross-border trucking dispute, a move that will reduce by half the retaliatory tariffs on more than $2 billion of U.S. goods once the agreement is formally signed.

Produce companies have been pushing for Washington to resolve the trade dispute with Mexico since Congress halted a pilot program in March 2009 that would have allowed Mexican carriers to enter the United States.

The lettuce market remained red hot the week of Feb. 28 as production continues to be hampered by earlier weather problems.

The cold, wet and rainy weather in December has combined with more rain and cold temperatures over the past several weeks to severely limit supplies.

Both Iceberg and Romaine lettuce were trading for more than $30 per carton on the spot market the week of Feb. 28, with prices occasionally spiking near $40 for specific sizes and SKUs. Other leaf lettuce items, including Red Leaf and Green Leaf, had f.o.b. prices in the mid-$20s range.

With the 2011 season for fresh grapes from California two months away, final numbers from the 2010 season show the industry shipped nearly 100 million boxes of fresh grapes.

A total of 98.3 million boxes (97.7 in 19-pound box equivalents) of fresh grapes from California were shipped during the 2010 season, with 37.4 million boxes exported to more than 62 countries around the world. The remainder was sold in the United States. California produces 99 percent of the commercial fresh grapes grown in the United States.