Blue Ribbon Task Force

Blue Ribbon Task Force Tours Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market

On November 17, 2011 members of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Farming traveled to the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market. A tour was led by the market’s administrative Director, Myra Gordon. After touring the Market, Blue Ribbon Task Force members met with market co-owners Steve Katzman and Mark D’Arrigo for a roundtable discussion. Also in attendance were Erica Chan and Cali Gorewitz of NYC Economic Development Corporation, and Steve Williams of the NYC Mayor’s Office.

The Task Force went to Hunts Point with the following goals in mind:

1) Understand how Hunts Point’s markets work so we can help New York Farmer’s sell their products there.

2) Develop relationships with Hunts Point owners and managers to facilitate connections between upstate New York communities and the market, and

3) Identify the obstacles our farmers face when trying to access Hunts Point to sell New York products.

The tour and subsequent meeting and discussion revealed that the main obstacle New York farmers face is logistical and organizational. Products sold at Hunts Point must be sorted and packaged uniformly –much different from what is required at farmer’s markets. NY growers also must bear in mind that there is a demand for certain products in NYC. They also need a cooling facility upstate to act as a staging ground before produce is brought down to the market. Hunts Point is the largest Terminal Market in the World (Paris is 2nd). Produce is replenished 2-5 times per day at Hunts Point stalls. Because of their demand for every product, all the time, they will always need whatever products New York farmers can grow. The Task Force members learned that New York farmers have a major advantage in selling at Hunts Point: location. New York producers save in transportation costs - undercutting Californian or South American products.  While oil prices are high, buying local will be popular. The market owners say that buying local means buying freshness, and that’s what the consumers want.

The Task Force’s trip to Hunts Point was more than just informative – the relationships Task Force members made with market owners will help them assist local farms throughout upstate that are looking for ways to sell their agricultural products to downstate markets.