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In 2014, this includes watermelons and cantaloupes
EU reduces vegetable purchases by 2,500 million kilos
According to data developed by Hortoinfo from the Euroestacom (ICEX- Eurostat) statistical service, during 2014, the European Union purchased a total of 27,540.82 million kilos of unpreserved vegetables, including fresh melons and watermelons.The EU countries paid a total of 22,026.54 million Euro for these.....
two day excursion to companies in Leeds and Liverpool
National commission Bladgroente goes oversees
The national commission Bladgroente (leafy vegetables) by LTO Glaskracht Nederland went to England with ENZA in February 2015. Over two days various different companies in the regions of Leeds and Liverpool were visited. There is a clear difference in leafy vegetable growers in both regions.The growers in.....
Hand-shelled broad beans from Guatemala at FV SeleQt
Broad beans are a perfect fit for the current legume trend. The past two years, nearly 30% more of these originally exotic beans have been consumed in the Netherlands. In England, broad beans are even a real hype at the moment!The FV SeleQt broad beans originate from Guatemala, and are carefully shelled by.....
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Andalusia
Spain: Lower garlic production due to low prices and smuggling
The Andalusian garlic sector is in a critical situation. After three seasons selling at a loss, many producers have chosen to abandon the crop and switch to others, like corn or cereal. This was denounced by Carmen Quintero, provincial secretary of COAG in Cordoba, the province with the region's largest.....
Spain: Lower tomato exports in 2014
Spanish tomato exports in 2014 dropped by 72 million kilos compared to the previous year, according to estimations made by Hortoinfo based on data from the statistical service Estacom (ICEX-Tax Agency).The volume of tomatoes exported between 1 January and 31 December 2014 reached 954.82 million kilos; 7.06%.....
Spain still facing relatively no competition
Courgette prices down by over 50% in a week
Courgette prices have dropped by 50% in just a week, from €2.10 per kilo down to just over € 1.00/kilo right now for the fine green, the most demanded variety.Thick green courgette prices have also dropped by 1 Euro compared to a week earlier, from an average of € 1.87 per kilo down to 86 cents right now.For.....
Data prepared by ProduceView:
Moroccan and Spanish tomatoes well represented in UK retail
This week's retail prices for cucumber, plum baby tomatoes and mixed chillies do not differ drastically compared to last week's retail prices. In a new report from ProduceView the retail prices of cucumber portions, plum baby tomatoes and mixed chillies were recorded. These prices are monitored by.....
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Netherlands: New packaging line for Unica Vera products W. de Mooij
The Italian season is underway at Dutch company Wijnand de Mooij BV. Wijnand is selling its Italian assortment under the UnicaVera-label to wholesalers and retailers, and according to Frits de Mooij business is going fine. “Apart from the usual line we introduced a new packaging line for Unica Vera.....
Bananas ripened in Brittany
Bananas are France's second most consumed fruit, after apples. They are green when they arrive in France and are ripened by La Compagnie Fruitière, North of Rennes. Most of the company’s bananas come from Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Ghana… a long journey that means the bananas need 4 to 6 days of.....
French lemon festival in full swing
The lemon festival in Menton has been in full-swing since the 14th February. Carts decorated in citrus fruit parade the streets and attract thousands of tourists every year.To obtain a large quantity of lemons the organisers have to look further than the citrus in the region, even turning to the region of.....
Germany: majority of onions coming from southern hemisphere
Now that the end of the storage season in Northwestern Europe is approaching, Germany and many other European countries are importing onions from the southern hemisphere. This will last until the beginning of the new harvest, reports the German Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI) (Agricultural Market.....
Launches on-line sale of Guadalquivir Valley oranges
Zumosol expands its business
Zumosol will be offering consumers oranges produced in the Guadalquivir Valley, just like the ones the company uses for the production of its juices. These can be purchased at the new on-line store www.naranjaszumosol.com. On-line orders must be of 10 kilo boxes, which will be delivered within 24.....
Greece: Higher orange prices, lemon production down
In the Greek market, oranges and lemons are currently in two polar opposite situations. According to sources within the sector consulted by Agrotypos, producer prices for oranges have increased, since there is a shortage of quality produce suitable for export after the damages caused by bad weather this.....
New distribution centre Rewe
Apart from an enormous sign, nothing on the Wieckenberger Straße in German Berkhof betrays that a project is being realized here on a 52,000 hectare area. But by late October this year, everything should be completed. German retailer Rewe is planning to transship 250,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables here,.....
Innovations that will shape the future of the food industry
“Traditionally static consumption patterns have undergone a transformation and we believe there are now three prevalent consumer mind-sets for food buying: sustainability, convenience and health” explained Rabobank analyst Jelle Groot. “Understanding these mind-sets and using appropriate innovations could.....
Bulgaria: Growers to receive 18 million Euro in subsidies
For the third consecutive year, producers of quality fruit and vegetables will receive subsidies from the national budget. This year the amount is the highest ever, 35.2 million Lev (approximately 18 million Euro). The funds will go to over 2,000 producers who have applied under the scheme and have received.....
Fruit and veg exports help reduce Portugal’s debt
Portugal aims to double the value of its fruit and vegetable exports by 2020. "Portuguese fresh vegetable shipments have grown by almost 26% in recent years (from 780 million Euro in 2010 to 983 million in 2013)," said Mr Laurent Armaos, of the Commercial Department of the Embassy of Portugal in Athens in an.....
"Local and organic are niches, the majority just wants fresh products"
HNGRY: the IKEA concept for food
In Antwerp, Thierry Peeters opened a new concept late last year: HNGRY. This concept is aimed at people who want to decide 'last-minute' what they're going to cook that night. When people enter the store, they step into a cookbook as it were, and can choose between ten dishes. All ingredients are sorted by.....
French Minister of Agriculture meets with producers
A “constructive and direct” conversation took place on the 18th February between Stéphane Le Foll, Luc Barbier, President of the National Federation of Fruit Producers and Jacques Rouchaussé, President of Légumes de France.The Minister of Agriculture stated that this constructive conversation allowed.....
Romania supplies 4% of the EU’s agricultural production
The value of Romania's agricultural production last year totalled 15.48 billion Euro and represented 3.95% of the European Union's total production, whose value amounted to 392.3 billion Euro, according to Eurostat.France, whose agricultural production is valued at 70.58 billion Euro (18% of the EU's total).....
Oceania
Citrus industry explores irradiation treatment to improve fruit quality and boost exports
Each year, Australia exports $200 million worth of citrus to more than 30 countries.Citrus Australia's citrus market access manager David Daniels said the industry needed to find ways to stay competitive, including considering alternative treatments like irradiation.He said it could overcome major issues in.....
Fairer trade for Aus farmers
After 21 years supplying direct to Coles, Perth Hills orchardist Guilio Petrucci turned on his heel and walked away from supermarkets.“In they end I said, 'you’re going to send me broke',” said Mr Petrucci, who grows 8.5 hectares of mostly stonefruit in the Kalamunda-Lesmurdie area.“It was deteriorating my.....
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Africa
Tunisia: food trade balance in surplus for 1st time
Tunisia’s Food trade balance recorded, in January 2015, for the first time since 2009, a surplus of 151 million Tunisian dinars (MTD) against a deficit of 157.7 MD in January 2014.According to the Ministry of Agriculture, food exports reached a value of 344.8 MTD in January 2015, against imports of about.....
World
Fruit Logistica 2015
lehmann natur GmbH presented new organic-premium segment
The company lehmann natur GmbH, one of the largest importers of organic fruit and vegetables in Europe presented their new organic premium segment for onions and garlic at the Fruit Logistica 2015 in Berlin. Their new premium segment includes seven different varieties of onions and two variations of garlic......
Argentine top fruit and Australian stonefruit
Marni Organics starts overseas import
Cees van Vugt and Jeffrey Moret have been active with Marni Organics for over two months now. The start of the company has been promising. "The biggest challenge is actually that there's only two of us. We're getting quite a bit of business, and we're already looking to expand the commercial team," Cees.....
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Mexico: Fair Trade is the future of organic bananas
"From what we could see at Fruit Logistica, demand for organic bananas has been gradually switching towards organic Fair Trade. Many are demanding this kind of fruit, despite it being a bit more expensive, as it is a seal that guarantees that the communities where production takes place benefit from it,".....
Retail
Mercamadrid grew by 15.3% in 2014
In 2014, Mercamadrid registered a 15.3% increase in the volume of products sold, exceeding two million tonnes; a figure it had not reached since 2009.This was reported by the Madrid City Council in a statement, which stressed that these figures entail "a strengthening and consolidation of the recovery that.....
Data prepared by ProduceView:
UK: British cucumbers at Tesco and Waitrose
In a new report from ProduceView the UK retail prices of cucumber, salad tomatoes and red peppers were recorded. These prices are monitored at nine supermarkets in the UK, namely: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, M & S, Waitrose, Lidl, Aldi, and Co-op. The prices have been monitored over the last 15.....
Thailand: CP All sets Bt15 bn to expand 7-Eleven and Makro networks
CP All will invest Bt15 billion this year in the expansion of its 7-Eleven convenience-store chain and Siam Makro cash-and-carry wholesale centres.About Bt9 billion will be allocated to the opening of 600 7-Eleven stores and between Bt5 billion and Bt6 billion will be for the opening of arond 10 Makro.....
US: Food will be 'critically important' to Target's future: Cornell
Food will be “a critically important area of opportunity” for Target Corp., Brian Cornell, chairman and CEO, told analysts Wednesday.“Food is very important to our guests, and we know food trips drive traffic,” he said. “We recognize we have a lot of work to do as we begin to build our reinvention plans for.....
US: Local lemon producers no longer want to deal with Wal-Mart
The municipality of Oxkutzcab, the State’s biggest citrus producer, usually sells to the highest bidder.Given the fluctuation in the price of citrus products, Wal-Mart could stop buying limes from local farmers in the State of Yucatan.Walmart had committed to buy premium lemons at $55 pesos a box, but.....
US: Giant Eagle to close all 8 Good Cents locations
Giant Eagle Inc. is abandoning its foray into the discount grocery business months after a similar decision by rival Bottom Dollar, underscoring the difficulties grocers confront eking out a profit in a highly competitive market.The closures of the Good Cents Grocery + More stores at the end of March will.....
UK: Multiple challenges for Morrisons' new CEO
With Morrisons having experienced two years of declining sales, IGD considers five areas of likely focus for the incoming chief executive.1). Strengthening Morrisons reputation for value. Morrisons has been working hard to restore its reputation for value and has two years left to run on its three year plan.....
Aeon's new Tokyo-area supermarket company aims for $250 profit for 2020
The new unit created by Aeon to integrate three Tokyo-area supermarket operators will aim for an operating profit of 30 billion yen ($250 million) in fiscal 2020, the head of the new corporation told The Nikkei.United Super Markets Holdings, dubbed USMH, will be formed Monday as a holding company for.....
UK: Asda plans £600m investment in new stores and refurbs
Asda has announced it will invest £600m to expand and improve its store estate in the coming year.According to the AJ’s sister title Construction News, the supermarket will open 17 new supermarkets in 2015, including three in London, in addition to more than 150 remote click and collect sites and 36 petrol.....
"Local and organic are niches, the majority just wants fresh products"
HNGRY: the IKEA concept for food
In Antwerp, Thierry Peeters opened a new concept late last year: HNGRY. This concept is aimed at people who want to decide 'last-minute' what they're going to cook that night. When people enter the store, they step into a cookbook as it were, and can choose between ten dishes. All ingredients are sorted by.....
Finland: Kesko CEO: Discount chains threaten domestic agriculture
Tuesday's front page of Aamulehti features an interview with the newly appointed CEO of retail chain giant Kesko, Mikko Helander. He told the paper that Finnish agriculture would be in for difficult times if more foreign discount supermarket chains start appearing in the marketplace.Helander said that he.....
US: Walmart announced the debut of its online Sustainability Leaders shop
Walmart announced today the debut of its Sustainability Leaders shop, an online shopping portal on Walmart.com that helps customers identify and purchase products from suppliers that are leading in sustainability.The launch of the Sustainability Leaders shop builds on the company’s ambition to provide.....
US: 'Robust sales' net sprouts record income
Sprout Farmers Market said healthier consumer lifestyles are driving strong financial results as the company continues to expand.“Leveraging our robust sales and remaining focused on managing stores and overhead costs produced record net income for 2014, [which] demonstrates our belief that consumers’ desire.....
US: Target records FY loss but sees U.S. momentum
Target Corp. reported a net loss for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Jan. 31 following its decision in mid-January to discontinue operating stores in Canada.However, the Minneapolis-based company said it is seeing “early momentum” in its efforts to improve its U.S. business.The net loss for the.....
Hungary: Aldi fined due to “unfair distributor behaviour”
Hungary’s Food Safety Authority (NEBIH) has fined German-owned discount supermarket chain Aldi 47 million forints for unfair distributor behaviour, state secretary responsible for food chain supervision Róbert Zsigó told news agency MTI. The authorities conducted an itemised check of almost 20% of all.....
FreshPlaza Funny
It's cold when a banana turns into a hammer!
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