July 2024
Edition
A Message from Our CEO
To our customers,
As summer progresses, we are pleased to report healthy inventory levels across the portfolio. However, we are anticipating challenges in select categories, and ocean freight from Asia continues to increase.
Containerized imports have surpassed expectations, showing a 10% increase compared to the same period last year. This growth is primarily fueled by imports from China, especially consumer-oriented goods. With the peak season underway, we anticipate elevated import demand throughout the summer.
Ocean freight rates have notably surged since early April. An unexpectedly significant increase in demand, coupled with ongoing capacity constraints primarily driven by the Red Sea diversion, have led to delays, congestion, and a scarcity of empty containers.
Despite unfavorable weather conditions in Morocco, a leading source of capers, we anticipate no challenges in this category. By expanding our sourcing beyond Morocco, we have increased product availability and ensured a more stable supply.
Severe weather events in China and Vietnam have significantly reduced the lychee harvest, with major producing provinces anticipating a 50% decrease in yield. We are confident in our access to adequate supply but expect price inflation as a result of the poor yield.
While the anchovy outlook continues to improve, we have not yet resumed consistent shipments with our Peruvian suppliers due to the lingering effects of La Niña. We remain in contact with our partners and are positioned well to fully resume supply as conditions permit.
Despite these crop challenges, we have worked with our international partners to ensure continuity of supply and maintain the customer service levels that we strive for.
As always, we are committed to providing all our customers with top-quality products and exceptional service.
To stay abreast of the most up-to-date and in-depth details regarding the supply chain, freight, and crop updates, please read our Regional Market Updates provided below.
Keith Dougherty
CEO of Roland Foods
Industry Updates
July 09, 2024 | Industry News
July 2024 Regional Market Report News
An update on global logistics and crop news for sriracha, lychee, and anchovies.