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North America

Coupon Offers Savings to Drive Idaho Potato Sales During Holiday Season and Beyond
Idaho Potatoes are the main ingredient in a "Holiday Fixings" multi-partner promotion
This holiday season, consumers can toast to suppertime savings with a multi-partner retail promotion offering coupons on "all the fixings" including America's favorite vegetable, Idaho potatoes. Now through the end of the year, Frontera Wine will feature bottleneck coupons offering $1 off Idaho potatoes,..... 0 comments

US: Medfly quarantine affects Santa Monica farmers markets and others
A recent find of a Mediterranean fruit fly in Santa Monica has caused state authorities to declare a quarantine that has started to affect vendors and customers at 10 farmers markets in that city and adjacent areas – just in time for the pre-Thanksgiving rush.Armando Garcia, whose family grows citrus,..... 0 comments

US: Imagination Farms Grape Cups
Imagination Farms and co-packer Delano Farms unveiled a new way to give children fresh fruit snacks on the go with Disney Garden Red Seedless Grape Cups. Available nationwide, the packaging features characters from Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story" and are available in a four-pack sleeve or individual 3.5-ounce,..... 0 comments

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US: Cranberries bring boost to the fruit bowl
While the dismal half-ounce of cranberry juice in your Cosmopolitan cocktail may not do the trick, there's no doubt that a serving of fresh cranberries with your turkey, a 1/2 cup of dried berries sprinkled on your morning oatmeal or 1/4 cup of cranberry juice can go far to help protect disease given the..... 0 comments

US: Pallets fail to stack up for Brambles in US
A slowdown in the key Brambles business in the United States has left it with a growing mountain of pallets and sales revenue for the past four months that was ''below expectations''.About 4 million additional pallets now idle at depots will increase storage and handling costs but, banking on consumer demand..... 0 comments

US: Navel harvest sees strong start, prices
California's navel orange growers expect the current harvest to yield a high-quality, abundant crop.Growers in the Central Valley and elsewhere have been taking oranges off the trees for about a month, and they started shipping about two weeks ago.What they're finding is that the quality, color and sugar..... 0 comments

Immigration priority for U.S. Apple
Early next year is a window of opportunity for Congress to act on immigration reform, says a leading national apple lobbyist.A year ago, Nancy Foster, president and chief executive officer of U.S. Apple Association, said the shift of power to the Democratic Party in Washington, D.C., should create a better..... 0 comments

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Canada: Good weather arrives as PEI potato harvest winds down
It was neither the start nor the end of the 2009 potato harvest that was the issue; it was the middle.“We had one good week in September and one good week in November,” observed Warren Ellis, owner of Warren Ellis Produce. “In between it was a nightmare.”After a soggy fall, conditions finally improved last..... 0 comments

US: Treasure Coast grapefruit smaller but sweeter, better profits expected
Grapefruit arriving at Treasure Coast packing houses are smaller than normal but sweeter.Most of the 22 packing houses that are members of the Indian River Citrus League opened for the season in early October and have been running near or at full capacity since then. Indian River Exchange Packers Inc...... 0 comments

US: Converted Organics exhibits organic fertilizer Products at major trade shows
Converted Organics Inc. announced that the Company is exhibiting its organic fertilizer products today at the California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA) and the Organic Fertilizer Association of California (OFAC) Organic Seminar in Woodland, CA. The CAPCA/OFAC Organic Seminar is attended by crop..... 0 comments

RedLine Solutions Announces PTI Symposium in Delano, California
Today, RedLine Solutions announced a symposium focusing on implementing PTI, the Produce Traceability Initiative. This event will be held in Delano, California, on Thursday, December 3, 2009, from 9 am to 4 pm. For details and to register, go to www.redlineforproduce.com/events. The PTI (Produce Traceability..... 0 comments

Two nationally-known nutrition experts help Chilean Avocado Group reach thousands of dietitians at annual conference
Thousands of registered dietitians from all dietetic specialties and all U.S. states learned about the benefits of monounsaturated fats, also known as` MUFAs, courtesy of the Chilean Avocado Importers Association (CAIA) at the American Dietetic Association’s (ADA) conference last month. The Food and..... 0 comments

Central America

US: Virginia's farm exports to Cuba expected to increase
Virginia's agricultural exports to Cuba are expected to be up by more than 10 percent this year, even as overall U.S. food exports to the communist country decline, state officials said.The state's exports of agricultural goods to Cuba, including apples, poultry and soybeans, were worth about $45 million in..... 0 comments

South America

Peru: Arequipa and Moquegua farmers export aromatic herbs to Switzerland
Forty tons of organic aromatic herbs are exported annually to Switzerland by farmers from the departments of Arequipa and Moquegua in southern Peru, said Jose Lombardi, executive director of NGO El Taller which supports this agricultural initiative.He said that the most produced herbs in Arequipa are..... 0 comments

Oceania

AU: Fresh citrus tactics vital
Australia's citrus growers have been warned: their future lies in patented varieties, which will cost more to grow but won't guarantee better returns.Keynote speaker Dr Etienne Rabe told last week's national citrus industry conference at Mildura that high production costs in Australia meant growers would..... 0 comments

Zespri Chairman John Loughlin honoured with a fellowship to the New Zealand Institute Of Chartered Accountants
At last week's AGM for the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants, held in Wellington, Mr John Loughlin received the prestigious honour of Fellowship of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.As one of only 24 Members to be conferred a Fellowship this year, John Loughlin of the Hawke's..... 0 comments

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Africa

Ghana: Akuapem farmers cry for fruit processing factory
Citrus farmers in the Akuapem South Municipality have appealed to the Government to establish a fruit processing factory in the area to save them from post harvest losses.They claimed that, during harvest time, they do not get market for their oranges and had to leave them to rot.This came to light at a..... 0 comments

World

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Europe

EU 'on verge' of settling banana dispute with Latin America
Shares in Dublin-listed banana importer Fyffes plc jumped almost 8pc on the back of optimism that the European Union is close to settling its 16-year-old trade dispute with Latin American banana producers.Hopes rose that the EU and Latin American banana exporters may reach an accord that would reduce import..... 0 comments

Moldovan soldiers given onions to fight swine flu
Moldova's army is feeding its soldiers onions and garlic to help them ward off swine flu.Defense Ministry chief doctor Col. Sergiu Vasislita says about 0.9 ounces (25 grams) of onions and 0.5 ounces (15 grams) of garlic will be added to each soldier's daily diet. That roughly corresponds to a small onion and..... 0 comments

UK: Government must help growers to boost production
Growers are well prepared for the challenge of increasing production in response to market demands but the Government has a major role to play in helping them maximise their potential, a conference will hear today 0 comments

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UK: Michael Valesco wins royal accolade
Valesco was presented with the prestigious Cruz de la Orden de Isabel La Catolica on behalf of the king by the Spanish ambassador Carles Casajuana in a ceremony at the National Gallery in London attended by family, friends and colleagues from the fresh produce industry.The award recognises Velasco's long and..... 0 comments

UK: Growers worry as Rural Payments Agency suspends funds to producer organisations
Payments have been suspended to all UK POs while Defra decides on a new policy on the thorny issue of shared facilities. The news was sent by letter from the RPA to all fruit and vegetable POs in the UK earlier this month.Shared facilities such as packing and marketing have been a bone of contention for a..... 0 comments

Government survey canvasses views on declining levels of UK fresh produce
The survey is being conducted by English Farming & Food Partnerships (EFFP) on behalf of Defra. The department aims to halt the decline in domestic production across all sectors (apart from sweet peppers) as UK producers struggle to compete effectively with imports.The EFFP is examining business..... 0 comments

Asia

Singapore: Vegetable prices up in Little India due to heavy rains in India & M'sia
Heavy rains in vegetable exporting countries, such as India and Malaysia, have caused a price hike in shops at Little India.Onions, an important ingredient in Indian cooking, now cost double - at S$2 per kilogramme, compared to a dollar previously.Lady's finger, brinjal and other vegetables, imported from..... 0 comments

India: Processing of fruits and vegetables
The level of processing of fruits and vegetables in the country is estimated at 2.20%. The low level of fruit and vegetable processing is due to non-availability of processable varieties of raw materials at right quantity and quality, seasonable nature of industry, lack of adequate post-harvest..... 0 comments

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Malaysia: Tissue culture helps to generate banana saplings
The tissue culture technique to generate banana saplings is seen as the solution in helping farmers to grow bananas on commercial scale.Hitherto, the lack of banana saplings in large numbers especially the ones that produce high yield and highly resistant to diseases prevented farmers from taking up large..... 0 comments

Israel: Syngenta to supply fungicide to Makhteshim-Agan
Syngenta, the Basel provider of crop protection solutions, signed a long-term agreement to supply Makhteshim-Agan, the Airport City, Israel, agrichemicals specialist, with the fungicide azoxystrobin. Terms weren't disclosed. Makhteshim-Agan plans to develop and commercialize its own products based on the..... 0 comments

Philippines: With an eye on profit, Mindanao processors adopt global food safety standards
In response to global market demand, even medium-scale processing companies in Mindanao are now setting up internal systems to conform to international food safety standards and thereby attract more buyers.Amley Food Corp., Sagrex Food Corp., KF Nutri-Foods International, Inc. and Boom Marine Corp. are four..... 0 comments

Indonesia government stricter on fruit and vegetable imports
Indonesia’s agricultural ministry has imposed stricter regulations for fruit and vegetable imports to prevent hazardous chemical residues.Under the new regulation, which will be effective from November 19, 2009, importers are obliged to submit a certificate to declare that imported fruits and vegetables do..... 0 comments

India: Dhandhuka farmers may face crop failure, fodder shortage
The prospect of crop failure and fodder shortage looms large over villages of Dhandhuka taluka in the district where fodder crisis is likely to deepen in the coming months due to poor monsoon this year. This has also resulted in total failure of rain-dependent crop of Dawood khani wheat in the region. It is..... 0 comments

India: Potato, onion prices push food inflation to 14.55%
Food inflation shot up to 14.55% for the first week of November, fuelled by higher prices of staple items such as potatoes, onions and pulses.Food inflation had been 13.68% for the week ended 31 October.While on a weekly basis inflation rose 0.87 percentage point from 13.68%, on a yearly basis, the price of..... 0 comments

Sri Lanka: Lack of standarization slows agri export expansion
Lack of a globally recognised standardizing mechanism is undermining the export growth of the fourth largest agriculture sector in Sri Lanka and experts yesterday warned that development goals would be seriously undermined if competitiveness was not enhanced in the Rs.3billion foreign exchange earning..... 0 comments

India: Turmeric overseas demand boosts prices
Fundamental AnalysisSpot prices at the major mandis were quoted at higher rates due to expected demand from the overseas market in the coming days.Prices at the futures may depend now on the crop prospects of turmeric. In short term (till November) prices may depend on the demand from the overseas and..... 0 comments

Retail

• Ahold Plans Cost-Cutting Program
• UK: Morrison Q3 growth slows, says life after Bolland
• REWE Group set to expand in Bulgaria
• Russian grocer X5 plans higher 2010 capex
• Study shows British supermarket prices are cheapest in western Europe
• Wal-Mart Latin America CEO is leaving company
• Retailers fall on 4Q caution despite good news from some

Economy

• Malaysia - Closer farm ties with Pakistan
• Singapore economy expands for 2nd straight quarter
• German Economy Minister - economy recovery hopes 'justified'
• Chile Peso Ends Firmer At 16-Month High, Shrugs Off GDP Data
• Dollar Falls Against Yen, Rises Against European Majors

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