Year overview September 2017

September proved to be a month full of disasters as countries across North and Latin America were battered by an onslaught of hurricanes. The unrelenting natural disasters caused significant damage to crops in the east coast of the United States, Mexico, Peru and many other countries caught in the trajectory of the Hurricanes. 

While not affected by freakish weather, India and Italy saw production drop in their onion and kiwi crops, respectively. Some good news amidst all the misfortune however, was North-western Europe seeing an increase in potato production and Australia pulling off a significant deal which could boost their production in India and see their blueberries make a splash in the Indian market. 

Despite all of the chaos, Asia Fruit Logistica carried on in September, bringing industry experts together from all over the world, including us at Fresh Plaza, for our annual photo report.

Hurricane Irma left its mark after passing through North and Latin America in September. The hurricane left banana plantations in Puerto Rico in tatters. Torrential rains in Guatemala and Mexico also affected production there, leading US suppliers struggling to keep up supply. As for the United States, the hurricane hit Florida the hardest. Early estimations pointed at a loss of 25-40% of the grapefruit crop, with citrus as a whole taking an estimated 21% hit. The Gulf got it even worse, where a 50-70% loss to the grapefruit crop was predicted. 

The region saw another hurricane shortly after, hurricane Katia. Mexico took the brunt of the assault of Katia, as it damaged an estimated 200,000 hectares of crops in Mexico with bananas being the biggest victim. Other affected crops included pineapple, papaya, and pod crops , among others. 

As if two weren't enough, Hurricane Maria followed shortly after, nearly wiping out certain crops across the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe and Martinique, and Puerto Rico were among the hardest hit, with crops like bananas, papaya, mango and coffee all seeing damage. The Department of Agriculture in Puerto Rico estimated that Maria had wiped out an astounding 80% of the value of total crops. 

Over in India, the onion market was in crisis due to bad weather and other factors, such as outdated techniques which created an onion shortage and a smaller harvest overall. Exports were expected to be directly effected, with a 30% drop forecast. 

Australian blueberry producer Mountain Blue had some good news to share in September with the announcement of a new joint venture to expand Australian blueberry production in India.