In this installment of the ‘Agronometrics In Charts’ series, Sarah Ilyas evaluates the state of the Mexican raspberry market. Each week the series looks at a different horticultural commodity, focusing on a specific origin or topic visualizing the market factors that are driving change.

Raspberries in Mexico are deemed the "red gold" owing to their iconic growth in areas such as Michoacán, Baja California and Jalisco. The country surpassed California in 2015 as the leading supplier of raspberries. 

Although fresh raspberries constitute a significant portion of the market, processed raspberries are equally sought after. One cup of raspberries provides over 50% of the minimum daily target for vitamin C, which supports immunity and skin health and helps produce collagen. 

There has been a recent surge in demand for frozen raspberries owing to the general public’s proclivity for healthy eating and drinking and due to the ease with which raspberries can be incorporated into smoothies and other drinks. This season has kicked off a few weeks earlier compared to last year. 

Volumes in week 15 stood at 2.1 K tonnes, displaying an 11 percent increase compared to the previous year. As can be noted below, incoming volumes this season were on average higher than those recorded in the past five years.

(Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

(Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

Pricing trends this season matched the trends in volume. Week 14 saw prices at $18 per package when the incoming volume was around 2.8 K tonnes.

Prices in week 15 stood at $20 per package while the total incoming volume was around 2.19 K tonnes. Pricing in the next few weeks will largely depend on the volumes that are soon to arrive from Central California. 

(Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

Although it is currently a few years away from commercial fruition, mechanized harvesting is a focal point for the raspberry processing industry. 

The difference between processed and fresh raspberries is generally determined by virtue of berry color. Processed raspberries tend to be a deeper red compared to fresh raspberries. In the coming years, fresh raspberries are expected to witness larger individual plantations using more modern varieties. 

Likewise, a significant increase is anticipated for mechanized harvesting for processed raspberries, with production for fresh raspberries following in its footsteps. 

In our ‘In Charts’ series, we work to tell some of the stories that are moving the industry. Feel free to take a look at the other articles by clicking here.

All pricing for domestic US produce represents the spot market at Shipping Point (i.e. packing house/climate controlled warehouse, etc.). For imported fruit, the pricing data represents the spot market at Port of Entry.

You can keep track of the markets daily through Agronometrics, a data visualization tool built to help the industry make sense of the huge amounts of data that professionals need to access to make informed decisions. If you found the information and the charts from this article useful, feel free to visit us at www.agronometrics.com where you can easily access these same graphs, or explore the other 21 commodities we currently track.