Cold storage inventory of strawberry as reported by the USDA shows smaller volumes of each pack style than what the ten year average is. This is a trend that has continued over from last year. Even with imported volumes at high levels from other strawberry producing countries, the amount of fruit currently in storage in the U.S. remains low. This low volume has remained so for longer than any other point in time going back more than thirty years. The last time the volume was below the current level was in 1986, and strawberry consumption was much lower than it is today. There are reports of other areas in the world being sold out or with difficulties currently that limit their ability to pack up much fruit. This low inventory position will carry into the summer and will most likely have an impact on pricing of strawberry for processing in California. This is especially true of the period of time early in the season.
