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Bad weather affects veggie production in Spain
The bad weather in Spain consisting of hail and frost has affected vegetable production. On top of vegetation slowing down due to the wave of cold weather at the end of December, the Almeria area has been affected by heavy rain over the last few days which resulted in blocked roads and there was also damage.....
Ukraine: Onion price growth rates up
Onion prices have been growing up in the southern regions of Ukraine thanks to high demand for export-quality produce.Prices have gone up by 30-40% since the beginning of this week, and now farmers are ready to ship high-quality onions at no lower than UAH 3.00-3.50/kg (EUR 0.13-0.15/kg).Prices are growing.....
Lithuanian producers compensated for losses
According to the Lithuanian Agricultural and Food Market Regulation Agency, on 31 December last year, 10 companies in the domestic market benefited from aid for withdrawals related to the Russian embargo.A total of 36 applications were submitted for the withdrawal and delivery of fruits and vegetables to.....
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Romania: 2.42 million Euro in EU aid for producers
Romanian fruit and vegetable producers will receive a total of 10.8 million Lei (2.42 million Euro) in funding, as an exceptional measure of temporary support to cover part of the losses incurred as a result of the Russian government's decision to ban the import of fruit and vegetables from the EU.The funds.....
Ukraine: Fruit and veg prices continue to increase
According to "APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits", Ukraine's fruit and vegetable price index for the week between 16 and 23 January increased by 3%, continuing the upward trend registered since November 2014. Over the past two and a half months, fruit and vegetable prices in Ukraine have grown by.....
Freshtime raises over £15,000 for Children’s charity
The Ally Cadence Trust has received a final charity cheque from Boston food producer Freshtime UK, bringing the total after a year of fund raising to £15,064.The trust, set up by Emma and Karl Humphries from Walcott in 2009, provides emotional and financial support for families affected by Spinal Muscular.....
Significant drop in Polish tomato and cabbage exports
According to Eurostat data, Polish exports of fresh vegetables and mushrooms in the period from July to October 2014 registered a 3.7 percent drop compared to the same period in the previous year, amounting to 223 thousand tonnes.
This is largely due to effects of the Russia embargo; exports of these.....
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Veerle van der Sypt, Fresh Trade Belgium:
"Belgian top fruit exporters pick up thread with India"
Belgian auctions and exporters have been exporting apples to India since 2011. So far the volumes haven't been big, but this is expected to increase within the coming years. Veerle van der Sypt of Fresh Trade Belgium indicates that the export to this country has also stood still for a while. "Now, with the.....
Esther van der Hoorn, Carsol Europe:
"So far demand for Chilean blueberries greater than last year"
Horacio Ozer Ami and Esther van der Hoorn represent the European sales office of the Chilean production company of blueberries Carsol Fruit in the Netherlands. This has gone well so far, according to Esther. "Until December there has been good demand. January traditionally starts off quieter, but at the.....
Lidl to open largest distribution centre in Spain
On Wednesday the German supermarket chain, Lidl, has started construction on what will be the largest logistics centre in Europe. The plans for this were already announced three years ago. The centre is being built in Alcalá de Henares on a large plot of land next to the M-300, where a large branch of.....
Organized by Cardiff University
Successful edition of educational event in fresh-cut industry
About 70 participants from 9 Countries throughout Europe met last week
in Cardiff, UK for an important educational event for the fresh-cut
industry organized by Cardiff University, in cooperation with the
University of Foggia (Italy), Cranfield University and University of
Reading. As in the last.....
María Pérez, manager of Delta Blau
"Andalusian oranges may follow Valencia's steps"
Despite the apparent growth of orange production in Andalusia, the sector's future looks uncertain, looking at the negative results achieved in recent campaigns, to which the Russian veto must be added this year."The citrus market is too brand-conscious, with a really big difference between the major brands.....
"More and more services added in addition to traditional storage and transfer"
Rien van beek (R&M Forwarding) developed own IT system
R&M Forwarding celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. In February, 2011, the fruit expediter moved to the former Ebrex building in Schiedam, and in 2013 the company opened a second office in the FMI building in Ridderkerk. "We have been through a significant expansion, and have had a good start in.....
Consumption decreased six percent in October
Drop in consumption of fruit and veg, Spain
October was a bad month for the consumption of fruit and vegetables in Spain. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, the demand fell by six percent, and there were sharp declines in the consumption of bananas, stonefruit, green beans, tomatoes and cabbage.Spanish households consumed a total of.....
Organic up in Sweden
ICA and Coop Sverige have announced that organic sales increased by 55% and 40% respectively in 2014, with organic now representing 7.7% of total sales at Coop Sverige.Different products driving the trend for both retailersCoop Sverige, which sells a range of 2,400 organic products, revealed that the most.....
Hungary: Electronic control system aids 75 tonne potato seize
Members of Hungary's National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county found and seized 75 tonnes of Polish potatoes that were not marked with the necessaryElectronic Road Transportation Control System (EKAER) number.EKAER audits allowed the NAV of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county.....
Oceania
AU: Potato giveaway drives wedge between growers
Earlier this month fruit and vegetable grower and Spud Shed owner Tony Galati gave away 200 tonnes of potatoes for free at his stores. Mr Galati said he gave the potatoes away because they were potatoes grown outside the limit he was able to sell under a strict industry quota system.The WA Potato Marketing.....
Slow start to NZ apples
A slow start to summer has led to a national shortage of New Zealand-grown apples, with some supermarkets able to offer only fruit imported from the United States. The dearth of new-season apples has led to empty shelves in some fresh produce departments and seen a popular drinks maker switch to apple.....
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AU: Berry farms target for Fair Work Ombudsman
Northwest blueberry and strawberry farms will be the target of Fair Work Ombudsman visits ensuring they are correctly paying seasonal workers. The Ombudsman's regional services team is making site visits to randomly selected properties on the Coast.It will ask growers and labour hire contractors to open.....
AU: Mass mango dumping as juice contracts dry up
The sad reality this summer is tonnes and tonnes of mangoes have ended up on the scrapheap for no reason other than their appearance.A loss of juicing contracts and a bumper season in the Mareeba-Dimbulah district resulted in tons of blemished fruit, that won't make the premium grade, being thrown out.Mango.....
FTA gives hope to AU veg growers
Recently concluded free trade agreements with Japan, South Korea and China could pave the way for greater exports of premium Australian vegetable products according to a discussion paper released today by AUSVEG titled ‘Exporting Australia’s vegetables to the Middle East & Asia: Market analysis &.....
Symposium to boost exports to Malaysia and UAE
Over 60 Australian vegetable growers will converge on Adelaide tomorrow for a two-day symposium aimed at helping the industry capitalise on United Arab Emirates and Malaysian export markets, currently worth a combined $31 million each year.“Both Malaysia and the UAE are currently in the top ten destinations.....
AU: Close to 100 million mangoes sold
Nearly 100 million Australian-grown mangoes will be sold this summer as the industry harvests its best crop in five years.“We’ve had good weather which allows us to grow a good-quality product, that creates more demand, hence the price being nice and reasonable,” Queensland grower Gavin Scurr said.Mr Scurr,.....
AU: Tas cherries sought by Chinese
Tasmanian cherries are being sold on China's largest online shopping platform, TMall.Cygnet-based cherry grower Glenburn Orchards is the first Tasmanian orchard to sell fruit through TMall, which has 15 million visitors, a day."Cherries are picked and packed in Tasmania, and airfreighted into Shanghai,.....
Africa
Zambia: Farmers advised to diversify
The National Union for Small-scale Farmers of Zambia (NUSFAZ) has advised farmers who received inputs late for the 2014/15 farming season to venture into other crops like beans, tomatoes and water melons as a way of diversification.NUSFAZ director of outreach and member services Emack Kaoma said in an.....
Candidates selected Green Pioneer Accelerator Program
The Green Pioneer Accelerator, a business accelerator that seeks to support social enterprises with innovative products and services mitigating the effects of climate change, has selected 11 entrepreneurs for the program in Kenya and 12 entrepreneurs for the program in South Africa.The selected entrepreneurs.....
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World
Spanish bananas request help against advance of non-EU bananas
Members of the Association of Banana Producers of the European Union (APEB) held a meeting with the French Minister of Agriculture, Stéphane Le Foll, where they have requested support for the creation of a common front with the governments of Spain and Portugal for the undertaking of continuous monitoring of.....
Key for success Total Produce
Global sources with local experts
Total Produce’s ability to deliver the “best of both worlds” to customers; the service levels and market expertise associated with local suppliers alongside the collective resources of an international group is to be the theme adopted by the Group at Fruit Logistica 2015. At Total Produce they believe in.....
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Sweet potato leaves good source of vitamins
Sweet potato is known to be a good source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and certain B vitamins that are considered essential to human health. Besides the commonly consumed root of the plant, certain tissues in sweet potato are also edible and high in nutritional value.Although studies have confirmed that.....
Resealable packaging wins in shelf life and sustainability
One of the many companies that is using resealable packaging is Naturipe Farms’ with their Peel and Reseal Fresh Blueberry tray, the tray offers retailers and consumers outstanding product freshness, a secure easy open and close tab, and a 40% reduction in plastic.“The design of our Peel and Reseal products.....
Leeks: Cancer-busting and all around healthy
One of the main reasons to start including leeks into your diet is their cardiovascular supporting property thanks to their high levels of vitamin B folate. (1) They also contain an exceptionally high level of vitamin K, which is important in blood clotting and the healing of wounds. (2)Allium in leeks ward.....
Coconut water hit in US and UK
Coconut water is already a thriving market in the UK and US, but demand for the packaged drink is now spilling out into other countries such as Japan and Canada.The drink has gained popularity in recent years because of its purported health benefits, which include providing high levels of potassium and other.....
Tacler launches new start page just before Fruit Logisica
Livestream of trade leads on FreshPlaza
At the beginning of the new year, FreshPlaza, Tacler and AGF began sporting a new face for many, as Tacler launches a new homepage. The fruit and veg trading website used to be a fully closed platform. Starting January 2015, the user created content will be visible on the homepage of Tacler. This being.....
Retail
Ireland: Supermarket ombudsman to ensure fair price
The Irish Farmers’ Association has called for the appointment of a supermarkets’ ombudsman to ensure that farmers get a fair share of the consumer price for their produce.Speaking at the association’s AGM, its president Eddie Downey said high-quality farm produce had lifted food exports by 45 per cent since.....
UK: Waitrose announces job plan
Waitrose has announced plans to create 2,000 jobs as it embarks on a store-opening spree following strong Christmas trading.The retailer, owned by the John Lewis Partnership, will open 14 shops in the coming year – split between supermarkets and little Waitrose convenience shops.“Our expansion story.....
Merger condition:
Safeway, Albertsons required to sell stores
Last March Albertsons supermarket owners Cerberus Capital Management and AB Acquisition LLC announced that they would acquire the Safeway chain of stores in a merger valued at more than $9 billion, but as with most deals of such magnitude, the new coupling between the second- and fifth-largest grocers in the.....
Could interim CEO turnaround Morrisons’?
A recent Guardian article entitled, Wanted: new Morrisons CEO. Same as old one, but without the mistakes[i] talks about the recent removal of Dalton Philips as the company’s chief executive.The article highlighted that despite most people, including Morrisons’ new chairman, Andy Higginson thinking that.....
Metro revenue beats estimates
Canadian grocer Metro Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue and profit as same-store sales rose 3.8 percent, the biggest increase since the third quarter of 2009.The company increased its quarterly dividend to 35 Canadian cents per common share from 30 Canadian cents and also announced a.....
Vietnam: Aeon announces tie-up with major retailers
Retail giant Aeon Co. said it has formed a capital and business tie-up with two of Vietnam’s major retailers in a bid to expand its business in the country.The company said Tuesday it has decided to take a 30 percent stake in Fivimart Co., which operates 20 stores in Hanoi, and a 49 percent stake in Citimart.....
India: Reliance retail sees 114% profit
Improved margins drove profit before depreciation, interest and taxes (PBDIT) by 114 per cent year-on-year at Reliance Retail during the third fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2014.Reliance Retail said it posted its highest ever profit before depreciation, interest and taxes (PBDIT) in the reporting.....
Magnit plans ‘aggressive’ 2015
PJSC Magnit, Russia’s largest retailer, plans to strengthen its market position by accelerating store openings just as the country’s economy enters a recession.“We’ll have our most aggressive opening plan this year,” billionaire Chief Executive Officer Sergey Galitskiy said Tuesday on a conference call. The.....
Greencore: More US acquisitions not ruled out
Greencore hasn’t ruled out the prospect of making more acquisitions in the US as part of its ongoing growth and investment strategy. The convenience food group’s US operations mainly sees it provide sandwiches and other food products to the Starbucks and 7-Eleven chains. It saw revenues increase 25% in the.....
First Spar opens in Oman
Spar, one of the world's largest food store retailer, has opened its first supermarket in Oman.M. Sridhar, CEO, SPAR Oman, said that the first supermarket is located near Taimur Mosque in Al Khuwair and will offer customers a new and rewarding experience. "The 700 square metres supermarket will deliver a.....
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