Cabbage production in California is transitioning to the Salinas and Oxnard areas, and the market has been good as a result of good demand. Prices are expected to remain favorable through spring and into summer, which is when local production throughout the country typically brings down prices.
“Supplies of cabbage are just starting to come from Salinas and Oxnard. There have been pretty steady supplies, and the market has been relatively quiet,” said Chris Amaral of Amaral Ranches. “We're in a transition period that will last about two weeks. Most growers don't get going until May, so there's not much big stuff right now.”
Good demand has also made for a steady market. On April 27, prices for 50-pound carton of green cabbage from Oxnard were between $10.75 and $12.95 on 18s through 24s. For red cabbage, prices were between $11.75 and $12.95. On the Central Coast, prices were between $11.25 and $14.45 for green cabbage and between $12.45 and $14.45 for red cabbage.
More contracts, less open-market product
There's also been less product available on the open market because a larger portion of the state's production has already been contracted.
“This season has been very contract-heavy,” said Amaral. “Over the last couple of seasons, prices got pretty high, so buyers are trying to lock in programs instead of shopping around. Before, cabbage was one of those items that was always around, was always cheap and nobody paid much attention to. But now it's grown less, and prices have gone up, so buyers would rather pay a few more dollars on contracts that risk the open market.”
He expects prices to remain steady and improve over the next few weeks.
“When Salinas gets going, it's usually just Salinas and Oxnard, so even though supplies will go up, demand will be better because everything is focused on this area. So we expect prices to get better even as supplies improve,” said Amaral. “It's not until summer, when local production around the country comes in, that the market will slow back down.”
