Importers say the shortage of Angeleno plums from Chile coupled with the excellent quality of this year’s crop has caused a surge in prices in the US in recent weeks.
According to USDA figures, the price of a two-layered box of Angeleno (30 gauge) on 18 March was US$24-US$26, as importers competed for scarce volumes resulting from last September’s freeze. This was in spite of the prevalence of smaller calibres.
Oppy’s director of South American impors, Evan Myers, said Angeleno volumes were down by more than 50 per cent, while Chilean peaches and nectarines were down 39 per cent and 50 per cent respectively.
Jac vandenberg’s stonefruit manager Craig Padover said that the predictions made at the start of the season by Chilean producers about the scale of the losses they faced had turned out to be broadly accurate.
Up until last week, Chile had exported 4.6m cartons of plums, 55 per cent fewer than last season. Shipments of Angelenos fell from 2m cartons in 2013 to 1.2m cartons in 2014.
