Click here for more information about our specials Europe
Bulgaria: New fruit and veg canning plant in Pavlikeni
A new plant for the processing of fruits and vegetables will open in the Bulgarian municipality of Pavlikeni. Its construction will require an investment of around 2.5 to 3 million Lev (1.28 to 1.53 million Euro) and another 1 million Lev (511,489 Euro) will go for the purchase of the necessary machinery,.....
UK: Warning over farm-gate potato prices
Bumper yields, falling consumption and increasing competition between retailers will continue to subdue farm-gate potato prices for the rest of the season, warns a leading processor.In its latest accounts, Produce Investments — the parent company of potato giant Greenvale — has warned of “price deflation in.....
Poland: Weather affecting raspberries, strawberries
It seems that this season prices of raspberries will be quite good. In chile crops of raspberries are at 15 - 30% lower than year ago. Poor weather in Serbia also influenced the volume of production but final results will be known soon. It is expected that poor weather conditions will have an influence on.....
Click here to receive this news directly in your inbox
Italy: Adfruit discusses kiwis stopped in Taiwan
Adelino Cordioli, owner of Adfruit and Giulia Frutta, talked about the kiwi containers that were denied access to Taiwan: "The correct positioning of probes is essential, that is why I need to thank agronomist Giovanni Bulzacca and the technicians of the Phytosanitary service in Verona, who set up the probes.....
Bad start for Turkish agriculture in 2015
Floods, frost and snowstorms in early 2015 have caused significant damage to agricultural producers in Turkey; as a result, the industry expects another year with low yields.
Hundreds of fruit and vegetable growers in many provinces of Turkey have suffered severe losses as a result of the recent floods.....
Grapes from South Africa dominate German wholesale
The current wholesale market report (no. 04/2015) of the German Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) shows that there was a slight decrease in grape prices on the German wholesale markets. Mainly grapes from South Africa were traded. Especially the varieties Prime Seedless, Flame Seedless and.....
Sweet peppers from Spain lead to price increase
German wholesale markets were dominated mostly by Spanish sweet peppers. That was stated by the German Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) in their current wholesale market report (no. 04/2015). The Spanish supply was low, but could be supplemented by Turkish, Greek, Moroccan and Israeli peppers,.....
Click here to receive this news directly in your inbox
Bulgaria: Only 14% of tomatoes domestically produced
Last December, 11% of all tomatoes marketed in Bulgaria were domestically produced; in January, this percentage has slightly increased, reaching 14%, according to Eduard Stoychev, president of the State Commission on Securities and Stock Exchange.Bulgaria's greenhouse production is more expensive than that.....
"You name it, we do it."
Turkish pineapple imports growing steadily
Verita Costa Rica is ready to launch a new pineapple campaign under the slogan "You name it, We do it." at Fruit Logistica Berlin 2015. Worldwide Customers are given the opportunity to promote their own brand on the pineapples, meeting the specifications of a particular market. Turkey is, by far, the most.....
Bulgaria: Ministry of Agriculture to support domestic producers
At a conference of the Union of Danube Growers in Ruse, the Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture and Food, Desislava Taneva, assured growers that they would receive funds under the Scheme of Assistance for Quality Fruits and Vegetables in mid-February.Taneva announced that from 5 to 27 February producers can.....
Enrico Turoni
Italy: The pros of using a DA-Meter
"The DA Meter was launched seven years ago and is now being used by the main global producers. Excellent results have been achieved on apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums. A similar device, DAK, can be used on kiwis," explains Enrico Turoni, owner of a company specialising in devices for.....
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.....
French man posts letter using sticker from banana label
A man from a small village in the South West of France sent himself a letter using a sticker from a banana instead of a real stamp. To his great surprise the envelope stamped with the “Banane de Guadeloupe et de Martinique” sticker arrived at its destination with no additional charges!
UK: Black garlic gaining popularity
Mark and Wendy Botwright were sheep farmers at Hazel End Farm, Hazelbury Bryan for ten years until foot and mouth took its toll. 17 years ago Wendy gave Mark some garlic bulbs to grow in the family garden, and as the bulbs grew and flourished, so did a new idea.The couple is now the UK’s largest producer of.....
Oceania
AU: Hot chip vending machine by end of year
Western Australian potatoes will soon be available around the country with just the push of a button, as Australia's first hot chip vending machines are rolled out.The Hot Chips Company, based in Perth, has spent more than five years developing the vending machines alongside WA potato processor Bendotti.....
Kiwi orchards worth gold
Orchard sales have soared in the Bay of Plenty and values are back to pre Psa levels for kiwifruit canopies but some growers are still doing it tough, an industry body says.Figures from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand show 98 horticulture farms were sold in 2014 compared to 50 in 2013 while the.....
Click here to receive this news directly in your inbox
Africa
Severe flooding hits Malawi
Heavy floods in southern Malawi have killed at least 79 people, forced more than 170,000 from their homes and cost about 160,000 people their livelihoods, a UN agency said on Wednesday.A state of emergency has been declared in 15 of Malawi’s 28 districts, and 63,000 hectares of land are under water, the Food.....
South Africa: New vision for agriculture
There was a new vision for agriculture in the province, MEC Cyril Xaba said on Tuesday. At the heart of it was a co-ordinated approach - and a plan to create a million jobs by 2030.Xaba was speaking at a meeting between his department and various commercial agricultural organisations and roleplayers when.....
Click here to receive this news directly in your inbox
Ghana: Measures to ensure hassle free exports
Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Wallace Akondor has assured that measures are being instituted to ensure that exporters of fresh fruits and vegetables enjoy hassle free processes and procedures at the scanner sites in the port.A committee will be formed to deal with these.....
Kenya: Fresh produce exporters demanding EU compensation
Exporters of fresh produce to the European Union are demanding Sh1 billion in compensation from the union after Kenya was reinstated to preferential market access to Europe. The amount is a result of losses dealers are said to have lost through taxes imposed on fresh produce destined for the EU over a period.....
Tunisia: date and pomegranate harvests up
According to the Minister of Agriculture, the date harvest this season reached about 223,000 tons compared to 198,800 tons last season, i.e. an 11% increase. The harvest is made up of almost 159,700 tons of Deglet Nour with a 12% growth compared to last year and 63,600 tons of other varieties, up 9% compared.....
Africa: Drought triggers ARC insurance payout
ARC Insurance Company Limited (ARC Ltd) will pay US $25 million in drought insurance claims to three countries in the Sahel this month. Mauritania, Niger and Senegal, which paid a combined premium of US $8 million, will use the payout to mobilize early interventions in response to drought based on.....
Uganda gets potato processor
Uganda has registered a first value addition factory. It is a first in potato processing not only in the country but also in the region save for Kenya that already has two.A multimillion dollar processing plant to serve potato farmers in three countries was last Friday commissioned in Kisoro, some 510 km.....
World
Hal 3.2, Stand C-01
Teboza brings Wild Asparagus to Fruit Logistica
For a few years now Teboza has been executing tests in Andalusia (near Jerez de la Frontera) by using different varieties and cultivation techniques to ensure that European asparagus stays fresh longer as an alternative to asparagus that is brought from outside the EU. Parallel to this project, another.....
RedStar innovations at Fruit Logistica
This year RedStar will once again be present at the Fruit Logistica as an exhibitor. Just like last year the total specialist will present itself in the Holland pavilion (hall 3.2, stall B-19). At a 36m2 stall RedStar will introduce the visitors to its innovations - which include seasonal packaging and.....
Click here to receive this news directly in your inbox
Eat a banana to help blood pressure
"Bananas help restore normal bowel activity, rich in non digestible fibres, help with constipation and diarrhoea and normalise the colon's function to absorb large amounts of water for regular bowel movements. Bananas have long been recognised for their antacid effects that protect against stomach ulcers and.....
Fruit Logistica, Hall 7.2a, Stand B-04
Italy: Taking the field with the Battagliola brothers
Together with his brother Domenico, Giuseppe Battagliola is the chairman and co-founder of La Linea Verde Ltd, a leader in the Italian fresh-cut market.
FreshPlaza (FP): La Linea Verde was born in 1991, but your experience has deep roots, right?Giuseppe
Battagliola (GB) - Before founding La Linea Verde,.....
Peru: Organic bananas afraid of Euro situation
"Last year, we exported 92% of what we produced to Europe, but this year we are reducing our volume of shipments to European destinations to 75% because we are afraid of what might happen to the Euro," said Aingeru García, manager of APPBOSA.The Peruvian firm brings over 500 producers together and has 650.....
Retail
Canada:
New norm: fewer deals, higher prices
Promo prices on leftover clementines from Christmas and discounted apples stored since the fall. Those are about the best offers shoppers have seen on fruits and vegetables in recent weeks as grocers grapple with a crashing exchange rate that’s sending produce prices sharply higher.The deals on clementines.....
Ireland:
Tesco, SuperValu slapped on wrist for overcharging
Shops operated by Musgraves and Tesco are among those who were issued with compliance notices by the industry watchdog for overcharging.The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission published its list of enforcement actions taken over the past six months.The Commission secured two convictions in this.....
Schnuck Markets Inc
Data breach loss capped at $500,000
A St. Louis-based supermarket chain has a $500,000 cap on how much it must pay for a data breach it suffered in 2012 and 2013, says a federal court in a case filed by the retailer against its payments processor and merchant bank.Schnuck Markets Inc. had suffered a data breach between December 2012 and March.....
Traditional markets still safe in Africa
Most Africans still buy their food at teeming, chaotic open-air food markets that would make many hygiene-conscious Westerners squirm. But a new study from the International Livestock Research Institute released on January 27 has yielded a surprising finding: that the milk and meat from these informal.....
Tesco names store closures
About 2,000 jobs are at risk after Tesco revealed the identities of the 43 unprofitable stores it will close as part of new chief executive Dave Lewis’s efforts to revive the embattled grocer.The retailer said it would be closing 30 convenience stores – 18 Express outlets and 12 inner-city Metro shops –.....
Asda changes home deliveries minimum
Asda changed minimum spend on home deliveries to £40. There’s going to be some furrowed brows and promises to shop elsewhere as Asda have changed the minimum spend terms & conditions for a home delivery.Previously, the minimum you spend was £25, meaning you could get a weekly shop delivered to you and.....
Convenience retailer sees opportunities
Convenience store retailer CJ Lang & Son has said it has significant growth opportunities in spite of uncertainty about consumer spending and increasing competition from supermarkets.The Dundee-based firm, which owns the SPAR franchise in Scotland, said it is well-placed to grow its market share with a.....
Retail executives:
SuperValu doing most to support Irish producers
Two-thirds of retail executives feel SuperValu is doing more than any other supermarket in supporting Irish producers.Close to 200 delegates at the annual Checkout Conference, which comprises top-level executives from the retail and consumer goods sectors, were asked, “Which supermarket do you think puts.....
Gulf retail sales expected to grow
Retail sales across the Gulf region are forecast to grow annually by more than 7 percent to 2018, reaching a total of $284.5 billion, according to a new report.Food retail sales growth is anticipated to outperform the non-food retail sales due to higher demand for healthier and high-value food in the region,.....
Japan's December retail sales inch higher
Japanese retail sales rose 0.2% in December from a year earlier, marking the sixth straight month of increase, the government said Thursday, on stronger sales of cosmetics and food and beverage products.The figures, released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, highlighted that consumer demand.....
JD.com launches imported foods initiative
JD.com, Inc., China's largest online direct sales company, has launched a major initiative to bring imported food to its tens of millions of Chinese customers. The US Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, Max Baucus, spoke at a recent JD.com event to promote the online sales of US-produced food and.....
Discounter sales growth slows in Germany
Germany may be the traditional home of the discount retailer, but according to market research firm GfK, the performance of the discounters there has started to diminish.GfK found that the revenues of the German discounters decreased by 1.4 per cent in the first 11 months of 2014.It also noted that given the.....
FreshPlaza Funny
When all else fails, play dead
Photos
