Soybeans
The 2019/2020 Brazilian soybean crop is set to eclipse the total US soybean crop for the first time ever. US soybean production has dropped off precipitously due to extreme flooding and related weather events throughout the US heartland this year. Add to this the ongoing trade war between the US and China and these market forces are further encouraging Brazil to continue to increase its production as Chinese buyers transition away from their traditional US suppliers.
According to sources, Brazil’s new crop yields are estimated to be 25% higher than the US’ total production for the 2019 crop of 96.6 million metric tons.
We supply GMO and Non-GMO Soybeans and Soybean Meal of all sizes, grades and styles.
Pork, Poultry, & Beef
The aptly named Chinese Year of the Pig will be remembered due to the massive outbreaks of African Swine Fever sweeping across Asia. As a result, imports of foreign grown pork, poultry, and beef have greatly increased to help fill the gaps in demand left by this devastating illness.
The desperation felt by Chinese importers in the face of this situation can be seen in the recent seizure by Hong Kong customs of 540 Metric Tons of smuggled frozen meats with an estimated market value of USD $6,400,000 in waters outside of Hong Kong. Read article here.
During the period, June 2018 - Oct. / Nov. 2019, pork shipments to China increased from foreign trading partners with Spain, Germany, USA, and Brazil taking the top spots most recently.
We supply all major pork, poultry, and beef products from SIF certified factories approved by the Chinese AQSIQ. We supply Chicken Feet, Paws, Middle-Joint Wings, in addition to our pork and beef products.
Almonds
Last week, the November Position report from the Almond Board of California was released showing higher YTD receipts than last November’s YTD. As we approach the end of the 2019 Almond harvest, it appears that the crop is likely to settle around 2.4 billion lbs. That said, many packers continue to report surprising regional variations in production and yields in California’s Almond crop this year. Due to this, it is proving harder to judge what the total receipts will be for the year and only time will tell where the 2019 total crop number finally settles.
In light of record shipments in November of 2018, the position report shows that shipments for November 2019 were essentially the same. These numbers are buoyed by domestic almonds sales which continue to be strong while international shipments were predictably weakest in the APEC region; mainly the Chinese market, including Hong Kong, with the usual smuggling routes in Vietnam well under last year’s marks.
Our most popular almond varieties are Nonpareil, Independence, Butte/Padre, and Carmel types with the most popular grades of Supreme, Extra, Standard 5%, and more.
Walnuts
In-shell walnut sales have steadied off from California due to a combination of high prices, an influx of Chinese walnuts entering California’s traditional In-shell markets like Turkey, and the approaching new year holidays. Quality has been exceptional this year for California walnuts and we look forward to any current inquiries as there is still some volume to ship before shelled walnuts sales take over as we enter 2020 and the new decade.
We work with the best California walnut packers to supply our customers with Jumbo and Jumbo / Large (J/L) in-shell Chandler, Howard, Hartley, Vina, Tulare, Serr and other varieties. We also provide bleached in-shell walnuts in addition to California shelled product including Chandler and non-Chandler Light Halves & Pieces (LHP) 20%, 40%, 80% and higher based on customer requirements. We also supply Combo Halves and Pieces (CHP) and Light Sorted Pieces (LSP).
Raisins
California raisin prices are beginning to find their footing again with sales picking up as many buyers are taking advantage of the great prices available now to make long term contracts. Our recommendation would be to take advantage of these prices now as they are likely to rise through 2020. Due to a historic drought in Chile, the South American crop is likely to be much smaller than in previous years which is likely to force buyers to consider alternatives like California and South Africa to fill their typical needs.
We supply all major bulk California raisins including dried-on-the-vine (DOV) and tray-dried Natural Thompson Seedless Selects, Selma Petes, Flames, Goldens, and other varieties in Jumbo, Select, and Midget sizes and welcome your inquiries. We also supply Selma Pete DOV Double-Run Supreme raisins to Japan and elsewhere which are processed twice to achieve exceptionally low stem and capstem counts. We offer multiple packaging options including custom boxes with client branding, supplier branded boxes, and blank unbranded boxes.
Cranberries
All growers and processors in North America (USA & Canada) have been reporting a massively short crop this year. This is likely to drive prices up for conventional sliced SDCs to highs not seen in some years, if ever. We are already seeing the effects of this on the wider markets in the form of Spot only offers with few, if any packers offering stable pricing for 12 months in 2020. Most packers reporting their preference to offer out spot or short term contracts to better gauge the effects of the short crop on 2020’s production and shipments.
We supply Conventional and Organic Whole or Sliced Sweetened Dried Cranberries (SDCs) packed in bulk cases as well as Organic Apple Juice Sweetened varieties. We also work with quarter inch diced and other diced cranberry products available as per client requirement. In addition, we supply 50 Brix and 65 Brix cranberry concentrate shipped in bulk 55 gallon drums.
Pistachios
To date, the US pistachio crop looks like it will settle around 731 million pounds (331,000 MT). We have seen large decreases in export shipments of inshell and closed shell shipments, which YTD are around 20% lower than at this time last year. This decrease is likely due to a later than normal harvest this year in combination with an earlier Chinese New Year closing out this sales period earlier than last year. This decrease in shipments can also likely be affected by the ongoing trade war between the US and China. We all hope with the most recent agreement for a Phase One trade deal with China will lend some stability to all of California’s export ag products in the coming year.
We supply raw in-shell pistachios and raw pistachio kernels of all sizes, grades and styles. We also supply roasted Extra No. 1 pistachios and welcome your inquiries.