Prices for tomatoes grown in Florida have been higher than normal this year. Abnormal winter storms have caused shortages of all Florida grown produce. Damaging winds, heavy rains and even tornadoes have crossed the state nearly every week since the holidays. A new crop of tomatoes for March will increase supply. Growers are hoping that the current low demand caused by high prices will not cause a steep price drop.
“Florida tomato production has not really kicked in yet because of the extreme amount of rain the state received,” said Chuck Weisinger of Weis-Buy Farms in Fort Myers, Florida. “The weather set us way back, and many growers lost their crops. Those that do have crops are just starting in a light way. About 80 percent of the tomatoes in the U.S. are currently coming from Mexico.” Depressed tomato markets for the past two years also led some of the state's growers to abandon tomatoes, which reduced the state's acreage and further limited production.
With light production, prices have been high. The price for a 25-pound carton of mature green tomatoes from Florida is currently in the high teens for most sizes. The market will likely remain where it is until production increases significantly, which Weisinger suspects will happen in about four weeks. Though prices are favorable for growers right now, Weisinger hopes the market, which will soften as production increases, doesn't turn too quickly.
“What we're afraid of is tomato fatigue,” he said. “We've had strong markets for a long time, and demand has suffered accordingly. Once we have volume, and we'll have volume next month, we will have to promote it in a positive way.”
