Finding supply

Just what citrus is available from where is a question that is frustrating some buyers, one West Coast citrus industry leader told me today. While some buyers are counting on oranges from Spain, the source said suppliers in Spain there have not had required insect trapping procedures in place that would allow for shipments to the U.S. Argentina can't ship to the U.S. now because of phytosanitary reasons. At the same time, California navel shippers will have limited supply into March. The f.o.b. price for first grade size 72 California navels has moderated slightly, trading at $26-28 on Jan. 31, down about $4-6 per carton from Jan. 22 but up about $15 per carton compared with Jan. 10.

Only light volumes of Mexican oranges were observed in the import column of the USDA's weekly shipment report, found among the links on the right.

Just because a country grows citrus doesn't mean it can be shipped to the U.S., but the USDA may need to do a better job of defining the world of potential suppliers. Developing...