Dear Readers,
The intake of raisins in South Africa is over and done with.
It is nothing spectacular if we say that the biggest parts of the South African raisins were Thompson-medium and logically the total of the Goldens (both mediums and jumbos) were strongly in the minority, this was due to only a very small difference in pricing.
Meanwhile, as the period of producing is getting shorter and shorter, all the packers are very busy to ship as much as possible Goldens, in order that the goods arrive before Ramadan at the various destinations, which starts, the 6th of May and what everybody is hoping for, brings the premium for the retailers, provided the above-mentioned goods do arrive in time.
It is clear that the market, in general, took profit of the disappointing Thompson crop-situation in California in 2017, which resulted in overall heavy buying-pressure at the end of 2017, respectively the start of 2018 and showing prices over US 2900.- per mton, for Thompson mediums. The disappointing shipments/deliveries (sofar) inside the USA and abroad have been showing us a total different sort of a market in 2019.
Today buyers’ ideas are much and much lower, which, surely, withhold purchasing parties of further action.
However, it is obvious, that after such sharp decline in prices, we might see a firmer market at the end of the year, because the overall consumption worldwide did not really decrease.
Of course, such change in pricing can only take place provided that the Californian crop does not bring enough merchandise, as, we have experienced two years back and which depends for a certain amount on the ongoing factor of changing grape-sticks into young almond-trees or other.
Meanwhile, we have noticed hand to mouth Easter-buying which took place and will further have everybody’s attention. Nevertheless, the expected change in price will only happen in a slow pace, we expect..
Of course we first will have the summer-season, starting, more or less, from now on and will surely last until September, as with most products. During these months we do hardly see a stronger market.