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July 1, 2004 |
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Dear Tomato Grower: June 1, 2004 Processed Tomato Products Inventory: Last week the California League of Food Processors issued its June 1, 2004 Tomato Products Inventory Report.
The demand figures, although not entirely unexpected, are worrisome because they indicate a 10% drop from last quarter (Mar-May ’04) and a 12% drop for the same period last year (Mar – May ’03). We will return to the subject of supply and demand in August once we have a better sense of the 2004 production and its likely impact on 2005 pricing. |
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2004 Crop “Off to the Races”: Hunts, Los Gatos and Rio Bravo confirm that their plants started up this week. Fruit quality is reported to be good with yields exceeding estimates. Unilever and Campbell’s are likely to get started before the week is out. PTAB estimates that 79,000 tons will be run this week. Volume will pick up sharply next week. |
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European Production Estimate: Tomato News reported the 2004 Amitom estimate for European and Middle Eastern Production.
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Canada: The Canadian crop looks good and assuming good weather it should get underway in early August. China: Foodnews reported that China’s #1 processor, Chalkis Group, has taken control of Tunhe, China’s #2. This combination will create the world’s largest tomato processor with capacity approaching 4 million tons. The Chinese crop remains a mystery with estimates ranging between 3.2 – 3.8 million metric tons. PTAB Training: I attended the Stockton training session for inspectors and supervisors this week. The meeting emphasized the importance of not jumping to conclusions about a specific defect; utilizing supervisors if there is a doubt; the importance of the inspector’s job in terms of grower and processor returns plus harvest and plant scheduling; and lastly being fair and objective. Hats off to Allan Jones and Tom Ramme for setting the right tone and getting the inspectors ready. |
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CTGA Addition: Stephanie Wensel, administrative assistant, gave birth to Jacob Dalton Wensel on June 21 with Jacob weighing in at an impressive 10 lb 1 oz and measuring 22 inches. Must have been all the processed tomatoes that Stephanie ate! We wish Stephanie and Josh, the proud papa, the best. Future Tomato Bulletin Distributions: Future Tomato Bulletins will be targeted to our grower member needs with mailing generally restricted to members with the exception being the occasional topic that requires broader distribution. We will continue to send The California Tomato Grower to the industry as a whole. Questions / comments welcome. (209) 478-1761 rdsiragusa@ctga.org
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All the best for the 2004 processing season and hopefully an early start is an indication of a profitable year for all parties. |
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Ross Siragusa |
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