Neil Mazal, with East Coast Farms and Vegetables in Lake Worth, Florida, provided an update on pepper production and current market prices.
Some of the highlights included:
- The red pepper market is very strong. There was a flush of red pepper out of Mexico that’s dried up. The field grown red pepper in Florida are done.
- Canada is not ready with red pepper production. Volume is not expected until May 23.
- Current prices for green pepper are in the low $20 range.
- Florida is still producing a small volume of pepper.
- Georgia is off to a late start this year following the freeze in March. Warm weather should help production progress in the next couple of days.
- There were disease problems and pepper weevil damage in Florida.
- Historical high price points were due to the weather and that California planted less product. That was driven by high costs, materials, labor and lack of available water.