Garlic prices in the U.S. market have been unusually high over the last 18 months or so, due largely to diminished production from China for the past two seasons. That has been a benefit to garlic growers and shippers in California who just a few years prior saw their returns take a beating season after season from cheap Chinese garlic flooding the market.

The 2011 garlic harvest was currently underway in both California and China as of late July. California

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has relaxed its fumigation procedures for Peruvian asparagus imported into the United States, according to Frank Ramos, a customs broker and president of The Perishable Specialist, based in Miami, FL.

“This is beautiful news,” said Mr. Ramos. “It lowers the cost [of fumigation] and lowers the suffering of the product.”

Mr. Ramos said that the new protocol came out late on Aug. 4 and is in effect as of today, Aug. 5.

TRANSPORTATION

Truck availability on the West Coast is adequate. Freight rates were expected to remain near the summer season’s peak heading into mid-August.

The price of crude oil fell $1.90 Aug. 3 to $91.89 per barrel, which is 37 percent below record levels of July 2008. The nationwide average price for a gallon of diesel the week of Aug. 1 was $3.94, 34 percent higher than one year ago. The average price in California for a gallon of diesel was $4.14, 32 percent higher than last year.

BROCCOLI

Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), chairman of the House of Representatives committee on agriculture, will keynote United Fresh’s Washington Public Policy Conference’s breakfast and general session on Wednesday, Oct. 5, exploring the key issues likely to emerge as Congress begins to consider the reauthorization of the Food, Conservation & Energy Act of 2008, more commonly known as the farm bill.