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North America

Canada: Growers state case to minister
Okanagan orchardists have outlined a game plan to try and escape financial disaster.During a meeting last week with Agriculture Minister Steve Thomson, the B.C. Fruit Growers demanded Victoria provide apple growers with $10 million and initiate a claim to a provincial/federal insurance program because of..... 0 comments

US charity teaches Afghan farmers to grow grapes
A San Rafael-based charity that helps farmers in Afghanistan has been awarded the largest USAID grant to a non-profit in Afghanistan. It is part an effort to win the hearts and minds of Afghan farmers, and get them to grow food crops instead of opium poppies for heroin.It is something Roots of Peace has..... 0 comments

US: Chiquita Brands International downward momentum continues
SmarTrend identified a Downtrend for Chiquita Brands International on January 22, 2010 at $15.59. In approximately 2 months, Chiquita Brands International has returned 4% as of today's recent price of $14.97.Chiquita Brands International is currently below its 50-day moving average of $15.58 and should find..... 0 comments

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Canada: Syngenta announces seed treatment project with Innovotech
Syngenta Crop Protection Canada, Inc. today announced its intent to work with Innovotech, a Canadian biotechnology product development company, clearing the way for continued research trials in North America on the new plant bacterial blight research product, oxysilver nitrate.Earlier this year Innovotech..... 0 comments

US (CA): Water deliveries increase for Valley farms
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Tuesday announced a five-fold increase in west Valley irrigation supply for summer, but water officials wonder if the news has come in time to help farmers make last-minute crop plans.Salazar raised the water forecast to 25% of the amount that west San Joaquin Valley growers..... 0 comments

Produce industry specialist to manage communications with state’s 6,000 avocado growers
Angie Hanson joins the California Avocado Commission
The California Avocado Commission (CAC) announced that Angie Hanson has joined the organization as communications manager, industry affairs. Hanson, who brings nearly five years produce industry experience to the position, comes to the Irvine, Calif.-based commission from Christopher Ranch, where she worked..... 0 comments

US: Converted Organics ships liquid organic fertilizer to distributor
Converted Organics Inc. announced today that the company shipped its LC 1-1-1 liquid organic fertilizer to Liberty Acres Fertilizer Corporation, a leading single-source fertilizer company that services the East Coast agriculture market from five strategically-located distribution centers in Florida, Georgia,..... 0 comments

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Canada: CSA programs offer fresh valley farm produce
Random periods of hail and snowfall aside, spring has for all intents and purposes sprung in the Cowichan Valley and area farmers are literally digging in to prepare for the new season.For those more inclined to go with fresh farmgate produce over grocery store goods, the opportunities are endless on..... 0 comments

US: OJ sales fall with price hikes
That roller-coaster ride named "Florida citrus" is on a downward path again.U.S. orange juice sales for the four weeks ending Feb. 20 fell 3.3 percent compared to the same period in 2009, Bob Norberg told the Florida Citrus Commission on Wednesday. It bottomed out at 49.6 million gallons.That represents the..... 0 comments

US: Fresh produce often contaminated with pesticides
A number of recent tests have revealed the astonishing degree to which the non-organic fruits and vegetables on grocery store shelves are contaminated with dangerous pesticides.A test conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found traces of more than 50 different pesticides on peaches destined for..... 0 comments

Seneca Foods donates 5 million pounds of canned food
Seneca Foods Corporation, manufacturer of Libby's canned fruits and vegetables, is donating five million pounds of food to Feeding America, the nation's leading hunger-relief organization. The donation, which is the largest ever one-time donation of canned fruits and vegetables combined in Feeding America's..... 0 comments

Cold storage facilities now eligible for USDA facility loan program
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today said that the Farm Storage Facility Loan program has been amended to allow producers to build cold storage facilities to store their fresh fruits and vegetables. This program is part of USDA's 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative and uses discretionary..... 0 comments

US: San Antonio chef to promote Texas’ melon industry
The Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Watermelon Association have recruited San Antonio television cooking show host, author and chef Michael Flores to be the face of a new bilingual campaign promoting the state’s watermelon producers.The bilingual spots will air in San Antonio, Dallas, Houston,..... 0 comments

US: Radical absorbent capacity values for fruits and vegetables
Several years ago, U.S. Department of Agriculture tested a wide variety of foods for what they call their ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) values. This is simply a test which measures the ability of foods and other compounds to subdue oxygen free radicals.As I’m sure you’re aware, long-term free..... 0 comments

Bob Stafford works vigilantly on behalf of Georgia's famously sweet onion.
US (GE): Working for the Vidalia onion growers is a sweet life
Would an onion by any other name taste as sweet as a Vidalia onion?Not as far as Bob Stafford is concerned.Since the mid-1990s, Stafford, who spent 34 years with the Florida Department of Agriculture, has been director of the Vidalia Onion Business Council.In that job, Stafford, who spent much of his career..... 0 comments

US: Tulare County oranges a versatile ingredient in all your cooking
After pulling a navel orange right off one of the trees at Ferry Farms, Bill Ferry expertly cuts both ends off and then slices out a wedge.He pops it in his mouth, savoring its sweetness at the peak of navel orange season."This time of year, when they're really good, I eat them all the time," Ferry..... 0 comments

Central America

Stallman urges congress to ease Cuba trade restrictions
When it comes to competing for agricultural trade with Cuba, the United States is its own worst enemy. In testimony today before the House Agriculture Committee, American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman called on congressional members to support the Travel Reform and Export Enhancement Act, or..... 1 comments

South America

Chilean fresh fruit industry launches relief effort for victims of earthquake
In light of the recent earthquake and other seismic events in Chile, and the consequential damage to infrastructure in rural areas, the Board of Directors of the Chilean Exporters Association (ASOEX), has decided to actively contribute to the reconstruction efforts being undertaken in affected regions of the..... 0 comments

Oceania

Registrations now open for Fresh Event 2010
Registrations are now open for the biggest conference and expo on the Australian calendar for 2010. “Fresh Event 2010 will bring together the who’s who in the fresh produce and floral industries, right across the value chain from growers to retailers and associated service industries” said Michael Worthington,..... 0 comments

AU: Exotic tropical fruits to win over Australian tastebuds
North Queensland producers of exotic tropical fruits are being invited to an industry workshop to develop plans to one day make fruits such as rambutan, mangosteen, durian, jackfruit, sapote and abiu common in Australian households. The Queensland Government’s Department of Employment, Economic Development..... 0 comments

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AU: First GM bananas harvested
Researchers say the first genetically modified (GM) bananas to be harvested in Australia are showing positive early results.The crop was planted last year in the South Johnstone area, south of Cairns in far north Queensland, and the first fruit has now been harvested.It is part of a trial to try to increase..... 0 comments

AU: Growers lose court battle over prescribed burns
Grape growers in south-west Western Australia have failed in a Supreme Court bid to find the former Department of Conservation and Land Management negligent for conducting a prescribed burn during the harvest.Southern Properties, the Old Vasse Vineyard and the Barwick Estate Vineyard grew wine grapes on land..... 0 comments

UnAustralian Golden Circle loses ACCC case
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has won a case against HJ Heinz after the US company bought Golden Circle but continued to sell products with ‘Proudly Australian owned’ on the label.“Consumers will be rightfully concerned that for well over a year after it acquired Golden Circle,..... 0 comments

AU: Mango madness as NT produces huge harvest
Two and a half million trays of mangoes were grown in the Northern Territory during the 2009 season making it the second biggest season on record, the Northern Territory Mango Industry Association says.The association's chairman, Murray Linton, says last year the orchards flowered for longer than expected..... 0 comments

Zespri supports creation of NZ productivity commission
ZESPRI International Limited says it is pleased about the creation of a new Productivity Commission, announced by the Minister of Finance and the Minister for Regulatory Reform today.Chief Executive, Lain Jager, said productivity was a critical factor in improving the rate of economic growth in New Zealand..... 0 comments

Africa

Botswana Feb. consumer price inflation stable at 6.1%
Botswana's consumer price index or CPI rose 6.1% on an annual basis in February, same as in the previous month, the Central Statistical Office said on Tuesday. A year earlier, the CPI was up 11.7%.Food and non-alcoholic beverages prices rose 3.4% annually in February, while clothing and footwear prices..... 1 comments

World

Air freight price fixing from 2000 to 2006: did you pay too much?
Companies that purchased international air cargo or air freight services in Europe, in the calendar years 2000 to 2006 inclusive, may be entitled to a refund for the amount overcharged as a consequence of alleged price-fixing by airline companies. The preliminary estimate of the claim and potential refund is..... 0 comments

Europe

Bright future for soft fruit in Scotland
L.M. Porter, a soft fruit grower and arable farmer with a fruit packing business based in Arbroath, Scotland who recently won the Grower of the Year award from Grower Magazine for innovations in their poly tunnel design. The company is part of the growers group who produce soft fruit for the Angus Soft..... 0 comments

Spain: Consumption of fresh produce increases
The consumption of vegetables in 2009, excluding potatoes, rose by 4.7%, with 2.6 million tons, the value was almost the same as in 2008, reaching 4.157 million Euro (+0.2 %). The main vegetable consumed in Spain in 2009 was tomatoes with 619,000 tonnes (+3.4%) at a cost of 853 million Euro (+0.1%), followed..... 0 comments

EU adopts support package for banana exporters from ACP states
Today, the Commission adopted a Euro 190 million support package for banana exporters from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. This proposal was part of the historic Geneva Agreement on Trade in Bananas.The EU concluded this deal with Latin American countries and the US in December 2009 which..... 0 comments

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UK: Country of origin labelling a step closer
MEPs pushed country of origin food labelling laws a step closer to reality yesterday.The European Parliament’s Environment Committee voted in favour of rules which would require all meat, poultry, dairy products, fresh fruit and vegetables to carry labels clearly indicating their country of origin.The MEPs..... 0 comments

Malta: Producer and input prices down in 2009
During the fourth quarter of 2009, producer and input prices for agriculture declined by 2.0 and 5.4 per cent respectively over the corresponding quarter of 2008.Producer Price IndexThe producer price index for agricultural products decreased by 2.0 per cent, from 115.24 in the fourth quarter of 2008 to..... 0 comments

UK: Pomegreat joins forces with charity partner
UK’s leading Pomegranate Juice Company Pomegreat, makes further commitment to creating change in AfghanistanPomegreat, the UK’s leading pomegranate juice brand, has taken another step to further its commitment to Afghanistan by joining forces with the charity “Children in Crisis.” The pomegranate juice..... 0 comments

Asia

Japan: Leafy greens, nuts cuts colon cancer risk in men
For men, boosting the intake of magnesium, a mineral found in leafy greens, nuts and legumes, can help significantly reduce the risk of colon cancer, says a new research from Japan.Magnesium has been shown to guard against high blood pressure, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, migraines and osteoporosis. Now,..... 0 comments

Philippines: Prolonged dry spell will kill many fruit trees
The Mindanao Fruit Council (MFC) has warned that a prolonged dry spell would kill many fruit trees in affected areas, leading to lay off of fruit tree growers and loss of income of farmers.MFC executive Larry Miculob said many trees were now "stressed" because of lack of water and if fruit farmers, both..... 0 comments

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India: McCain Food launches potato pops at Aahar
McCain Foods India Pvt. Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of McCain Foods Ltd, Canada, has introduced Chilli Garlic Potato Pops, a unique mouth-watering delectable snack for the Indian market. The product, which was launched at Aahar International Fair 2010, will be available for the institutional buyers.McCain..... 0 comments

China to host World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress
The 14th World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress will be held from 21-23 May 2010 in Beijing, and will include a scientific round table and an international dried fruit seminar, as well as gathering the traditional working groups for individual tree nuts. Issues explored in the sessions will range from finance..... 0 comments

Philippines: Banana yield dropping
The long dry spell has caused banana production to drop by about a third in the last six weeks, an industry leader has estimated."Aside from water conservation and installation of irrigation system, we are just praying for divine intervention," Stephen A. Antig, president of the Pilipino Banana Growers and..... 0 comments

India: Steady growth in food processing in Tamil Nadu
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Subodh Kant Sahai, the minister of food processing industries (Mofpi), said though data on the number of food processing units in the country including Tamil Nadu was not centrally maintained by the Mofpi – the state is registering steady growth in food processing,..... 0 comments

India: Seminar on potential & road map for promoting exports from Himachal
A seminar on “Potential & Road Map For Promoting Horti Exports From Hp” is being organised by Agriculture & Processed Foods Export Development Authority (APEDA) in association with PHD Chamber on Friday, 19th March 2010 at Hotel Peter Hoff, Shimla.Agriculture being the main occupation of the people..... 0 comments

China: Organic food sales a tough slog
Beijing Organic and Beyond Corp Chairman Zhang Xiangdong has a shoe leather approach to organic fruit and vegetable sales in China's capital that is a lesson for any firm trying to enter the world's biggest food market.Zhang came back from the United States in 2005 and started to grow organic fruits,..... 0 comments

India: The chilli hand grenade is ready to explode!
It's ready to explode and not just in the mouth. The 'bhut jolokia' - recognised as the hottest of spices - will pack a punch when mixed with handgrenades to deal with terrorists, as trials by Indian defence scientists have shown.A defence spokesperson said scientists at the Defence Research and Development..... 0 comments

Retail

• Germany: Tengelmann to sell stores to Rewe, Tegut
• UK: Netto to launch £1 range
• Germany: Metro sees 2010 earnings above last year's level
• US: Online grocery shopping launches in Baltimore
• US: Major retailers connect with suppliers at U connect conference
• Carrefour buys five stores in Spain
• UK: Co-op profit lifted by Somerfield
• US: SPAR Group announces preliminary 2009 revenue and EPS results

Economy

• Euro falls after Greece says may seek IMF help
• China's economy expected to grow 9.5% in 2010
• Brazil may hike interest rates as economy rebounds
• Inflation targeting won't work in Japan
• British pound lifted by 'short squeeze' after jobless claims fall
• Canadian dollar heads to parity with greenback
• UK: Pound makes recovery on inflation fears

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