Expect short supplies of papayas, higher fobs

Excerpts from the 12/24 Packer article by Abraham Mahshie

Short supplies and high prices of papayas this year were single-handedly the fault of August's Category 5 Hurricane Dean say suppliers.

"Last year we were getting a steady 35 containers a week into the US," said Mary Ostlund director of marketing for Brooks Tropicals, Inc., Homestead Fla.

Despite Dean, Brooks believes it can increase its monthly papaya volumes by 20% by the end of 2008.

Ostlund said the first shipment after Dean came in late November and that she expected full volume to be restored by mid-summer.

"The good news is that we were prepared for the storm. We got all the seedlings in, pulled out all equipment. The very next day we were out in the fields pruning the trees, cleaning up the fields and replanting," she said. "The fields are looking great".