Border Foods Crop Update as of Mid July 2010

Green Chile

This has been anything but a normal year for growing green chile in New Mexico. The year began with a cool and wet spring followed by a June heat wave. The result of this aberrant weather is a crop that is two to three weeks late. A Hatch area grower was quoted in the press this week as stating that last year they harvested beginning July 25th, this year August 8th is their projected start date. A tour of the fields this week by Border Foods Agronomists shows that some transplanted crops may be ready the week of 7/19 but confirms the consensus of an early August ramp up of harvest activities. The sporadic weather patterns will result in varied quality levels at the front end of the crop with quality improving as the season progresses.

Recent reports in the press note that New Mexico produced 72,700 tons of red and green chile in 2009 on approximately 12,300 acres with a value of $57.4 million.
 

Jalapenos

 The supply of jalapenos has eased significantly since the early May crop report. With the retail market well supplied, excess supplies are now available to the processing market. We have replenished our inventories and are open for business with adequate supplies of all varieties and sizes. We anticipate adequate supplies and stable pricing to continue into the fall season.

Tomatillo

 Supply and demand for tomatillos is in balance, leading to consistent supplies and steady pricing. We expect this trend to continue into the autumn.