Asparagus in Charts: Mexico sees eight weeks of high prices

Asparagus is a curious vegetable. Generally regarded to have been a part of the human diet for the last 2000 years, it seems to surface through archaeological artifacts among the Egyptian culture. Having been known to have been a part of the Roman diet and feasted upon the European nobility, it makes its way to the Americas in the mid-1800s.

Today asparagus is one of the fastest-growing categories we track, expanding 29% in the last four years from 192M Kilos to 250M Kg per year, mostly on the backs of Mexico and Peru.

The last two months, however, have seen Mexican asparagus stand out, offering a strong premium over Peru.

Non-Organic Asparagus Prices per Kilo by Origin

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. (Agronometrics users can
view this chart with live updates here)

These volumes come in the low season, on the shoulders of the main part of Mexico's season. That corresponds to the production season of Guanajuato.

Historic Mexico Non-Organic Asparagus Volumes

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. (Agronometrics users can
view this chart with live updates here)

Mexico is the US' largest supplier and the main driver of a rise in volumes in the market. It held 59% of the market in 2018.

Not to say that Peru isn’t playing an important role. The Andean country accounted for 34% of the market in 2018, leaving only 7% of the market to other origins.

Non-Organic Asparagus Volumes

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. (Agronometrics users can
view this chart with live updates here)

Asparagus prices are some of the most volatile that we track. Below are the monthly averages reported by the USDA.

There is some semblance of a pattern here, but there are frequent price spike or dips. This keeps market observers and us analysts on our toes. The need for the industry to keep an eye on the volatility of these prices is also one of the reasons that asparagus is currently the only vegetable we track.

Historic Mexico Non-Organic Asparagus Prices per Kilo

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. (Agronometrics users can
view this chart with live updates here)

Written by: Colin Fain
Original published in FreshFruitPortal.com on September 03, 2019 (Link)

Comments

Blueberry boom: Worldwide growth creates challenges for NW producers

Overview of the northwest blueberry season by Doug Krahmer of Berries Northwest, Cort Brazelton of Fall Creek Farm and Nursery, Kasey Cronquist of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and Mark Hurst of Hurst's Berry Farm, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published in www.capitalpress.com on July 30, 2020 ALBANY, Ore. — On a seasonably warm July afternoon in the fertile Willamette Valley, Doug Krahmer stood between rows of organic blueberries and watched as a large mechanical harvester rolled slowly through the field, rattling bushes heavy with ripe fruit. Measuring a little more than 15 feet tall, 11 feet wide and weighing 7 tons, the harvester seemingly floated in the distance over neat rows while fiberglass rods, or “fingers,” shook the berries onto a conveyor belt that swooped them to the upper deck and into plastic crates. From there, the crates were loaded into refrigerated trucks and driven from the farm north of Albany, Ore., to a packing shed ea

The table grape industry is in uncharted territory right now

Overview of the potential impact of COVID-19 on future grape supply and price, by Ira Greenstein of Direct Source Marketing, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published in FreshPlaza.com on March 24, 2020 While the Chilean and Peruvian grape seasons are winding down and their weekly volumes are decreasing, the table grape industry has seen an uptick in demand in the past weeks. This is partially a result of the high retail movements due to the coronavirus panic-shopping of the past few weeks. Ira Greenstein of Direct Source Marketing says: “A month ago, importers had a real concern that the industry wouldn’t be able to move through the condensed volumes and huge inventories would be sitting in cold storages. That sentiment has completely reversed with substantially increased retail demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” With the lower volumes but increasing demand, the cold stores are rapidly being depleted and spot market pricing is expected to continue to i

Agronometrics in Charts: The Role of Mexican Blueberries in the U.S. Market

As Mexico's season just reached its peak, the opportunity lends itself to look a bit deeper at the origin in the U.S. markets. The rise of Mexican blueberries in the U.S. market has been no small achievement. In 2010, they represented a mere blip on the map. In 2019, with 75 M lbs, they were the second largest importer of fresh blueberries to the U.S., second only to Chile, but with Peru trailing closely behind Mexico. Historic Volumes | Non-Organic Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics . (Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here ) In 2010, the landscape for blueberries was very different from what it is today. Chile has grown considerably, the U.S.’s production has evened out more, pushing more volume into April and May, and of course, Mexico is now a primary source through this time period. U.S. Volumes by Origin 2010 | Non-Organic U.S. Volumes by Origin 2019 | Non-Organic Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics . (Agrono

Agronometrics Blog

Search This Blog