MARKET CITY WEEKLY UPDATE
WHOLESALE MARKET ACTIVITY REPORT | ISSUE 48 | 5 JUNE 2015
THIS WEEK...
• Trade was badly affected by the
low demand and rainy weather
even though most lines well
stocked.
• Biggest movers: tomatoes,
apples, broccoli and
cauliflowers.
• Table grapes are all but finished.
Bananas eased and WA citrus is
now in full swing.
• All vegetable lines were well
stocked with Carnarvon
produce appearing on schedule.
NEXT WEEK...
With intermittent rain forecast for
next week, trade should remain at
current levels.
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PICK OF THE WEEK
Arguably the superhero of vegetables,
the broccoli, with its distinctive green
colouring and bouquet bunch appearance, is
overflowing with health benefits to the body.
Because of these benefits it is recommended
by leading health professionals that broccoli
be featured on the family menu at least once
a week. The key to ensure great tasting
broccoli is not to overcook.
HANDY HINT:
When selecting, look for dark or bright green
closed florets with a compact head (firm
to hand pressure) and a cleanly cut stalk.
There should be no yellow florets and no
discolouration on the stem.
Avoid over mature heads where the individual
stems (florets) that make up the heads have
become loose, flower buds are starting to
elongate and burst and showing the first
signs of yellow petals. Refrigerate broccoli
in a sealed plastic freezer bag or a sealed
container that will keep moisture in to stop
heads from going limp. 5-7 days of storage
life can be expected.
FRUIT REPORT (prices quoted are indicative wholesale at Market City during the week)
POME FRUIT
Apple sales were steady and the general quality was very good. Pink Lady and Fuji varieties lead the way
with sales up to $40-45 per carton. Granny Smiths are well supplied as are Sundowners. Pears are steady
with Nashi supply mainly from Victoria. Fuyu persimmon fruit continue to be supplied in large volumes and
prices were steady.
CITRUS
Citrus was in full swing with Navels, Navelina oranges from the Gingin/Moora area down to Harvey in the
south. Imperial and Clementine mandarins were plentiful both from interstate and local growers. Lemons
eased as the local crop matured and became available. Queensland lemons still commanding a premium
at $38-45 per carton. Limes were still heavily supplied and selling for $25-30 per carton.
BERRIES
As more quantity became available, the price of strawberries eased to most sales at $3-3.20 per punnet.
Raspberries were firm at $6-7 per punnet.
MELONS
Heavier supplies of Rockmelons and Honeydews from the Ord River saw the prices ease by $2-4 per
tray with prices of rockmelons at $26-28 per tray and honeydews to $22-24 per tray. There were cases of
ripeness issues with honeydews. Seedless watermelon was available from the same source as well as the
Northern Territory and sold for $0.70-1.20/kg.
GRAPES
Only Red Globes left for sale at up to $5/kg. It is expected that the first of the USA grapes will be arriving
in the next two weeks. There is no price indication at this stage.
STONE FRUITS
Peaches and nectarines from USA were all being offered at $8-10/kg and were available in tray and volume
packs. USA Cherries were selling for $15-18/kg and selling steadily. The quality of the cherries was very
good. Some cherry plums from Carnarvon were sighted but were very under-ripe.
TROPICAL FRUIT & NUTS
Bananas eased in price due to good stocks and lower demand, which could be due to high sales of
mandarins to the school lunch market. More supplies of Hass Avocados from QLD saw the price steady at
$40-45 per tray. Kiwifruit from both NZ and Victoria was selling for $30-45 per carton. NZ gold kiwifruit were
selling for $6-8/kg. Local passionfruit was steady at $0.50-1.20 each. Imported Mangosteen from Thailand
was selling for $10/kg. Pineapples were steady. Pomegranates were mainly from interstate as the local
crop nears the end. Local organic walnuts sold for $11-15.00/kg. Tasmanian walnuts were also available
at $6.50-8.50/kg.
END OF FRUIT REPORT
VEGETABLE REPORT (prices quoted are indicative wholesale at Market City during the week)
FRUITING VEGETABLES & CURCUBITS
Red capsicums continue to be short and until Carnarvon supplies increase, prices will continue to stay
between the ranges of $6-9/kg for top grade product. Some early Carnarvon field grown red capsicums have
appeared and the quality was on the average side. Green capsicums sold up to $4/kg and were of better
quality. Tomatoes were heavily supplied and prices eased to $18-24 with most sales between $18-20 per
carton. Roma tomatoes eased to $24 for the best. Truss tomatoes sold between $20-24 per tray. Cherry and
grape tomatoes were $1-1.20 per punnet. Eggplant was heavily supplied but a lot of the stock was small and
marked. Good stock was selling up to $2-2.50 each but others were selling for $1-1.50. Smaller stock was
hard to move. Chillies were well supplied and steady in price. Lebanese cucumbers are still short with stock
coming from SA, Geraldton and local growers with prices from $6-8/kg. Continental cucumbers eased due to
falling demand and were selling from $1.60-3.00 each. Zucchini from Carnarvon was selling for $0.60-0.70
and local for $0.40-0.50 each.
HERBS, LEAFY & BRASSICA VEGETABLES
Iceberg lettuce was still low in price selling at $4-8 per crate with low demand and sales. Silverbeet was
selling from $1.20-2.40 per bunch. English spinach was steady at $0.60-1.00 per bunch and were low in
demand. Asian vegetables were steady in demand and sound in quality. Broccoli is excellent in quality at
the moment with stock coming from local and South West sources. The bulk of the iced comes from down
south and bunch were from local growers. Prices range from $16-26 for iced and $1-1.40 for bunches.
Cauliflowers are well supplied and superb quality available for $1.40-2.40 each depending on size. Kale is
heavily supplied and selling for $0.60-1.50 per bunch. All cabbages were steady in price and demand. Quality
was very good as one would expect at this time of the year. Supplies of basil from Carnarvon increased and
the prices eased by mid-week to $6-10/kg. Coriander was selling for $5-8/kg. Both parsley varieties and mint
were steady and lemon grass sold to $12/kg.
ROOT & BULB VEGETABLES
There is still a strong demand still for swedes, turnips and parsnips keeping prices firm. Beetroot sales are
steady with some Eastern States product being brought in at $2-3/kg. Radish was well supplied at $1-1.30
per bunch as were baby carrots. Potato prices were steady as usual. Good supplies of all onions saw steady
prices and good quality. Aniseed bulbs from SA and VIC were well supplied and selling for $26-32 per carton.
Some early Kohl Rabi was selling for $1.20 per head. Celeriac was available from local growers at up to $3
each. Early quality was very good.
LEGUMES & OTHER VEGETABLES
Good supplies of stringless beans with stock from local areas, QLD and VIC with a price range of $3-10/
kg. Most sales were between $4-6/kg. Some Kentucky Blue beans were selling for $6-10/kg with a rare line
selling up to $12/kg. Runner beans were variable at $6-10/kg and some excellent Snake beans from NT were
$10/kg. Local Sugar snap peas were selling for $7-10/kg and local Snow peas for $6-8/kg. The quality of both
sugarsnaps and snowpeas were very good. Imported asparagus from either Mexico or Peru sold for $11-12/
kg and the quality was very good. A small amount of Carnarvon asparagus was available and there will be
a hiatus in supply from this grower for some 4-6 weeks. Mushrooms are in short supply and prices remain
firm with Button mushrooms selling for $10-11/kg and Swiss brown to $12/kg. Flat mushrooms are selling at
$11-12/kg. It is hoped that the setbacks to this industry will be short lived.
END OF VEGETABLE REPORT
This report is provided by the Perth Market Authority (PMA) with information contributed from Market City wholesale tenants,
the Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries WA and an independent researcher contracted by the PMA. Prices quoted are
indicative wholesale prices at Market City during the week. For more information, please contact Nicole Fernandes or Stephen
Ward at the PMA on 9456 9200.
IN
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UPCOMING WAREHOUSE VACANCY
Warehouse E5, Unit 21
Warehouse E5, Unit 21, 100m2 is expected to be available for lease
from mid-June 2015.
For further information, please contact Mark Clark, PMA Property Manager
on 9456 9200 or [email protected]
TASTINGS ARE FREE!
Sunday Chef
Every Sunday inside Fresh Ideas from 9am - 1pm, the Sunday Community Market Chef cooks up a storm through the
interactive cooking demonstrations using fresh, in season fruit and vegetables giving consumers first hand knowledge on
how to select, cook and store fresh produce.
Come and visit this weekend to experience the flavours of this season with the following recipes:
- Mexican Style Corn, Capsicum, Chilli, Avocado & Black Bean Stir Fry
- Winter Kiwifruit, Mandarin & Lime Curd Tart
- Zucchini, Apple & Mustard Relish
Last week’s dishes:
Cherry, Orange & Apple
Custard Bread Pudding
Braised Brussels Sprouts & Pumpkin
in Macaroni Cheese
Paleo Eggplant Cannelloni with Kale
Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (HIA) is a not-for-profit, grower-owned Research and
Development Corporation (RDC) for Australia’s $9 billion horticulture industry. HIA invests more
than $100 million in research, development and marketing programs annually.
Registering with HIA is free and brings many benefits for growers, business entities, individuals
and the wider Australian horticulture sector.
Membership includes being kept up to date with industry news, upcoming events, project
outcomes, funding opportunities and recently published final reports.
Membership gives growers a greater direct influence in the future direction of HIA and how levy
funds are invested.
Visit www.horticulture.com.au/membership to find out more and to register your interest, or
just email [email protected] or call the membership team on
1300 880 981 or 02 8295 2395.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
2015
Market City Ball
& Fresh Produce Retailer
of the Year Awards
6:30pm,
Friday 24th July 2015
Grand Ballroom Two,
Crown Casino Complex
Tickets $160 (plus GST)
Contact Chamber of Fruit & Vegetable Industries WA
on 9455 2742
INDUSTRY NEWS
Local & from around the world
Horticulture Code of Conduct Review
Cauliflower soaring in popularity
Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. Barnaby Joyce, and Minister
Billson have initiated a review of the Horticulture Code, which
regulates trade in horticultural produce between Australia’s fresh
fruit and vegetable growers and traders.
Cauliflowers are soaring in popularity and the industry
believes higher prices will do nothing to dampen demand.
The independent review will provide advice on how the code
can be improved to balance the needs of growers with those of
traders. The review will prepare a draft issues paper, and after
receiving stakeholder feedback, will provide a report and make
recommendations for the Australian Government to consider.
More households in Australia bought the humble brassica
in March this year than in March last year, and figures have
been trending up since December, AusVeg said.
People had also been spending more on cauliflower, a
staple for soups and increasingly popular as an alternative to
mashed potato or rice.
The draft issues paper will be available for comment shortly. For
the terms of reference and more information about the review,
visit www.agriculture.gov.au/horticulturecodereview.
AusVeg said recent spikes in the price, attributed to supply
issues, were not expected to affect future demand.
‘Ugly fruit’ campaign wins marketing award
“We’ve seen an abnormally high spend per household
for cauliflower over the last three or four months, with the
average spend for February sitting 26 per cent higher than
the same time last year,” AusVeg industry development
assistant manager Kurt Hermann said.
Harris Farm Markets has been awarded the PMA-Produce
Plus Marketer of the Year Award 2015 for its Imperfect Picks
‘ugly fruit’ marketing campaign.
The Imperfect Picks product range was launched in late
2014 and set out to bring the issue of food waste to the
public’s attention by highlighting the staggering percentage
of fresh produce that does not leave the farm gate, simply
because it does not meet the strict aesthetic specifications of
food retailers.
Imperfect Picks was singled out by the judges as a
pioneering, integrated and impactful campaign. “We’d like
to congratulate Harris Farm Markets on this outstanding
campaign,” said John Hey, managing editor of Produce
Plus. “The speed and quality of execution were impressive,
and Imperfect Picks has created an exciting marketing
outlet for that significant portion of a grower’s crop that does
not meet retailers’ aesthetic standards. At the same time,
the campaign has helped to actually grow fresh produce
consumption.”
He said consumers were returning to cauli as a favourite in
colder months.
Nielsen Homescan data also showed sweet potato, pumpkin
and broccoli were more popular as the weather cooled.
Source:
http://www.freshplaza.com/article/140969/AU-Cauliflower-soaringin-popularity?utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_medium=ed5&utm_
source=s1
“The campaign has been amazingly well received by our
customers, and our growers have been thrilled with the
ability to move previously unmarketable product. With a big
milestone in terms of volume sold coming up and this award
now to spur us on, we are going to redouble our efforts to
drive this campaign forward. Stay tuned for Imperfect Picks
2.0!” said Harris after collecting the accolade. The award
was announced at the PMA Fresh Connections conference
and trade show in Melbourne.
For the full story:
http://www.freshplaza.com/article/140931/Ugly-fruit-campaign-winsmarketing-award?utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_medium=ed5&utm_
source=s1
Imperfect Picks
HAVE YOU JOINED
THE FIGHT FOR FLAVOUR?
Give your business a boost!
Join the Great Greengrocer marketing Campaign.
Become part of an exciting marketing
campaign for independent retailers:
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The campaign this year features:
More TV packages
More social media advertising
Digital advertising
Advertising in The West Australian
Sponsorships of community events
New merchandising materials
And much more...
TV spots on air now!
Channel 7 Channel 9
Channel 10
And online:
Google Display
Plus 7
Nicole Fernandes
Marketing & Communications Manager, PMA
9456 9200 | [email protected]
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Retailers on board this year:
Bassendean Fresh
Belmont Market
Bunbury Farmer’s Market
Cannington Fresh Market
Daily Fresh Choice
Di Chiera Bros Continental Store
Domenic’s Fruit and Vegetables
Drovers Garden Glow Fruit & Veg
Erica’s Shed
Farmgate Produce
Farmhouse Fresh
Five Seasons Fresh
Forrest Road Fresh
Fresh Provisions
Geraldton Fruit and Vegetable Supply
Gilbert’s Fresh Market
Gwelup Fruits & More
Hawthorn Fresh
Hills Continental Market
Hills Fresh
Limes Fresh Farmers Market
Marmion St Fresh & Gourmet
Morley Market Fresh
Midland Fresh
Mr Fresh Carine
Napoli Mercato
Newy’s Vegie Patch
North Perth Growers Market
Ocean Keys Fresh
Peaches Fresh Food Market
Rockingham Fresh
Scutti - A Taste of Europe
Swan View Fruit & Veg
The Fruit Basket
The Good Grocer
The Herdsman
The New Benara Fresh Market
Tony Ale Fruit Market
Town and Country Fruit and Veg
Willetton Fresh Market
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