United States: Heat wave leaves industry parched

Published Jun 21, 2021

Tridge summary

Due to an active heat advisory in the West Coast regions of the US, temperatures impacting crop yields and quality, particularly in the Central Valley, and concerns about precipitation, prices for produce such as iceberg and romaine lettuce are experiencing significant increases. Iceberg lettuce prices have risen by 40% to $11.50 per case, and romaine lettuce by 33%, due to reduced yields and quality issues. On the other hand, bean prices have surged by 90% due to extreme heat affecting production in the West and lower volumes from the East Coast. Despite the challenges, stone fruit prices remain low due to strong, quality supply. Bell peppers are also holding onto low prices, with quality and availability forecasted to stay stable. The ProduceIQ Index is a shipping point price index that provides an industry-wide price per pound at the location of packing for domestic produce and at the U.S. port of entry for imported produce, using 40 top commodities to represent the industry.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

While decreases across categories dragged the overall index slightly down, anxiety over Western heat and forecasted precipitation is causing prices for lettuce and certain dry vegetables to jump off the floor.Growing regions on the West Coast of the United States are under an “active heat advisory.” In anticipation of reduced yields and heat-related damage, iceberg and romaine lettuce experienced much needed price increases.In what has been a flat year for iceberg, a jump is a welcome change for growers weary of rock bottom prices. Although Iceberg is up +40 percent over the previous week to $11.50 per case, the rise is caused by reduced yields.Warranting further price increases, abnormal temperatures in the Central Valley will negatively impact yields and quality of the heat-sensitive crop over the next couple of weeks.Iceberg needs continued price increases to make up for losses and reduced yield.Similarly, Romaine has enjoyed a relatively even-keeled year. Though prices have ...

Source: Producebluebook