Positive outlook for MAS’ melons
Positive outlook for MAS’ melons
With a start on the early side, the Mexican grape deal will enjoy a relatively long season, according to Miguel (Miky) Suarez, a partner in MAS Melons & Grapes, LLC, based in Rio Rico, AZ.
In MAS’ conference room, Miguel (Miky) Suarez, a partner in the firm, stands with an honorary piece given to him by Japanese clients. MAS will start shipping green grapes from Hermosillo, Sonora, about May 5 and will end the deal in Caborca in the last week of June. Depending on market conditions, Red Globes and the black variety Autumn Royal could be shipped into July.
“It will be a long season again,” he said. “We will start early so that’s always very good for us. The longer the season, the better, especially when you start early. You get better results. I think it will be a great season.”
MAS’ grape deal will be up this season to about 750,000 cases.
“From what I hear, we may be a little light on greens and fine on the reds in Hermosillo,” Suarez said. “The same is true in Caborca. They will be a little light on greens.”
Caborca, which is not far south of the Arizona border, to the west of Nogales, will begin shipping grapes about May 20.
Hermosillo will finish with Sugraones and Flames about June 15-18.
This spring MAS will be exporting Mexican grapes to New Zealand and Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore.
Suarez said that as much as 40 percent of his Mexican grape volume was once exported to the United Kingdom. That business was mostly lost to rising export production in Egypt and Morocco. “The UK for us over the last few years has not been much of a factor.”
But because of market conditions, Suarez said the UK market will be revitalized for his firm this year.