Prices for cucumbers coming into the U.S. from Mexico have come down from the highs seen in previous months. As more production regions in Mexico came on, supplies increased and, coupled with additional imports from Honduras, that made prices dip in February.
“Prices for a carton of cucumbers from Mexico in December and January were in the mid to high-20s and topped out at $30.00 per carton,” said Tony Incaviglia of GR Fresh. “Right now, prices are in the teens, but they could go up when production transitions out of Culiacan.” On February 19, prices for a carton of Super/Select cucumbers from Mexico were between $8.95 and $12.95 at crossings through Texas.
GR Fresh is one of the larger Mexican growers of cucumbers, and it has growing regions scattered throughout Mexico where it grows its vegetables. As production transitions from one region to another, Incaviglia explained, there is sometimes a brief dip in availability, and that leads to increased prices. One such market jump could occur around late March or early April, when production moves out of Culiacan and to Torreon.
“If Florida and Georgia have normal seasons, then you can have cucumbers coming from three places at once: Southeastern United States, Honduras and Mexico,” noted Incaviglia. “Volumes are pretty consistent. The only time they vary much is when we're transitioning from one area to another. But are normally very consistent during this time of year.”
