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North America

Instant redeemable offers, cross promotions and delicious recipes lined up
MANN PACKING supports SPRING sales with multiple promotions
Mann Packing is supporting its sales program with multiple promotions the next three months.Swing into spring Starting March 15, Mann is placing instant redeemable coupons on 150,000 packages of 8-ounce Stringless Sugar Snap Peas and 6-ounce Snow Peas. The offer is good for $1 savings for any two packages of..... 0 comments

US (WA): Other growing economies beckon
China and India have been growing as Washington apple markets and could double because of their large populations, says Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission.Washington shipped 1.9 million boxes of apples into Hong Kong and China in the 2008-09 sales season and that could double if "we..... 0 comments

US: Columbia Gorge Organic offers an organic, seasonal blood orange juice blend
Just because we’re in the colder months that doesn’t mean you can’t have fresh citrus in your diet. Columbia Gorge Organic (CoGo), an all-organic, fresh juice and fruit company, announced today the addition of a new seasonal drink to their Juice & Blends line: Pure Squeezed Blood Orange Juice with Orange..... 0 comments

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Citrus growers find a growing market
US (CA): Sweet harvest for Meyer lemons
When life hands you lemons by the millions, make lemonade.Then have your caterer make a lemon dressing for a garbanzo bean salad; lemon gremolata for the lemon-grilled chicken; and lemon crème brûlée. At a recent lunch hosted by farmer Scott McIntyre, there were lemon slices in pitchers of iced water, lemon..... 0 comments

Canada: Apple growers ask province for millions in relief
BC orchardists are hoping a meeting with the provincial Agriculture Minister Steve Thompson will translate into financial assistance.Apple prices are so low most growers can't break even let alone make a profit.BC Fruit Growers' Association president Joe Sardinha says at their meeting Wednesday in Victoria..... 0 comments

USDA, Justice Dept. set to probe consolidation in agriculture
For 40 years, farmer Todd Leake and his family have battled bitter cold, hungry pests and a short growing season to coax soybeans out of their fields in eastern North Dakota.The one thing they never had to fight for, though, was their seeds.A decade ago, salesmen from as many as 50 seed companies would..... 0 comments

US (TX): Farmers concerned about potential pesticide permitting by EPA
A recent court decision regarding the Clean Air Act could affect farmers, ranchers and even consumers. The Environmental Protection Agency is looking at requiring farmers to get a permit before they can spray their crops with pesticides.George Caldwell with the Texas Farm Bureau says if the change does go..... 0 comments

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US: Hass Avocado Board offers Hass Avocado Meal ideas
Celebrate National Nutrition Month all through March with a menu that everyone can enjoy. National Nutrition Month is the perfect time to introduce exciting, tasty new menu items that put the “good” back in goodness. We suggest starting with Fresh Hass Avocados.Fresh Hass Avocados have a subtle, nutty flavor..... 0 comments

US connects to India with apples, nuts
With a healthy booty of Washington apples, Indiana popcorns, Georgian pecan nuts, Californian pistachios and prunes, the US is looking to forge new 'diplomatic' ties by increasing its presence in the Indian health food market.'We connect to other cultures with book diplomacy, but food is also another great..... 0 comments

Central America

Guatemala: Del Monte won´t export anymore bananas from Puerto Quetzal
Bananas from Guatemala are now going through the Port of Chiapas at the Southern part of Mexico. The reason that Del Monte argue is the priority given to Cruises Liners. Marco Garcia, General Manager from Del Monte said: "we have to wait 9 hours to load bananas, for fresh produce that is impossible". 0 comments

Stallman urges congress to ease Cuba trade restrictions
When it comes to competing for agricultural trade with Cuba, the United States is its own worst enemy. In testimony today before the House Agriculture Committee, American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman called on congressional members to support the Travel Reform and Export Enhancement Act, or..... 1 comments

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South America

Peru: Asparagus acreage tends to be replaced with other crops
The asparagus has been one of the best workhorses of the Peruvian agro-export offer, and with this product, they have managed to become the leading exporter in fresh produce. However due to the lower prices last year, growers are already considering other options.Robert Falcone, general manager of Agro AIB,..... 0 comments

Oceania

AU: Wait and see on apples
Biosecurity Australia has invoked a "stop the clock" measure on its import risk analysis of fresh apples from the US northwest.BA chief executive Colin Grant last week ordered a halt to revision of the draft IRA - which will be passed on to the Eminent Scientists Group - after seeking more information from..... 0 comments

AU: Banana growers turn green at price volatility
Banana prices continue to be volatile, making specialist marketing and supply agreements, market timing and farm location increasingly important in securing profitable market prices.Growers are increasingly trying to outdo each other, and are looking for that marketing edge which will attract premium prices..... 0 comments

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AU: Pistachios popping out
Australia's 25 pistachio growers are busy harvesting this year's crop.While it might not be as big as last year, growers say things are looking pretty good.Eric Wright, from Nangiloc in north-west Victoria, says there's nothing quite like the taste of a pistchio nut fresh off the tree..."When we go over to..... 0 comments

AU: Growers fear housing threat
South Australia's Fresh Fruit Growers Association says allowing more residential houses to be built in horticultural zones would be hugely detrimental to growers.Chairman Dino Cerrachi says there are indications that the three Riverland councils are considering a proposal to change their development plans..... 0 comments

Africa

Company will enter African market
Lemnis Lighting obtain 26.2 million Euro in a series of D-financing
Lemnis Lighting, a specialist in energy economical LED- lights and known from the various retrofit LED-lamps by the brand Iname Pharox, have announced that a consortium will invest 26.2 million Euro in the company. With the injection of this sum Lemnis Lighting will, amongst other things, support the..... 0 comments

Uganda: Manafwa parish priest ventures into banana farming
Father Mubi was a beneficiary of 300 banana suckers of the Mpologoma variety from the NAADS programme. The priest has a nice looking banana plantation behind his house. "I planted them on one and half acres of land," he said.During the first harvest last year, he harvested five bunches of bananas and to his..... 0 comments

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Cashewnuts accounted for 15.2 per cent of traditional exports last year.
Tanzania: Cashewnut exports up
The rate was higher than 9.6 per cent the previous year.The Bank of Tanzania’s economic review for last month showed that the crop accounted for eight per cent of traditional exports in 2007.The report showed that 99,300 tonnes of cashew nuts worth $71.5 million were exported last year compared with 55,000..... 0 comments

Tunisia to implement measures on irrigated farming
As part of the implementation of the 2009-2014 Presidential Program which focused in its 20th item on “agricultural sector adjusting to climate changes and meeting current challenges”, Tunisia has set up a number of strategies so as to develop the sector.Tunisia’s strategies aims at expanding irrigated..... 0 comments

Uganda: Modern system of creating vegetable seedlings introduced
We could say our final goodbyes to a shortage of vegetables in the country soon, if a new system of preparing and managing seedlings is adopted by farmers. The initiative involves the professional preparation of seedlings in a protected green house, which are then sold to vegetable farmers across the..... 0 comments

World

World currency trade rises 17% to $2.7 trillion a day
Global currency trading rose to $2.7 trillion a day between April and October, the first growth since the six months to April 2008, the Reserve Bank of Australia said, citing data from five markets.Transactions increased by 17 percent from the previous six months, the RBA said in a report based on figures..... 0 comments

Europe

UK: Technology brings polytunnels up to date
More robust structures and latest venting techniques are helping to improve polytunnels, says Roger Chesher.The end of the 20th century saw a significant change in the demand for fresh fruit and vegetables. An awareness of "food air miles" and the importance of traceability increased the focus on..... 0 comments

Spain: Campaign to promote strawberries in Europe, but losses of millions due to floods
March is the month to promote strawberries from Spain Europewide. The President of ASAJA Huelva and of Interfresa, José Luis García Aguado said that this promotional campaign "is necessary and with or without official support we have to promote our strawberries."However, the news from Huelva is not so..... 0 comments

NL: First Maltese potatoes arrive in Europe
This week the first Maltese potatoes arrived in Europe. The growing season in Malta this year has been exceptional. Because they were able to plant early, the harvest is three weeks earlier than last year. Above all the growers (cooperation) is very happy with the quality this year. The crumbly,tasty..... 0 comments

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500 kilo drugs found in plastic pineapples
500 kgs of cocaine was found on Monday at premises in Poeldijk in Holland on Monday. This was reported by the authorities on Tuesday. Employees informed the police when they found plastic fruit among the real fruit. The workers noticed something wasn't quite right with the pineapples in single containers...... 0 comments

Galas from Uruguay and Argentina in Europa
This week Gala apples from Argentina and Uruguay have arrived in Europe. According to Remko Oirbansfrom Wilkofruit, Holland, there is a big demand for these apples because there are hardly any on the European market. "It is a desired apple", he says. The apples are packed in 60x40 open top 12.5 kgs and 18..... 0 comments

Geothermal heat directly available in East Macedonia
Whilst in countries such as the Netherlands millions have to be invested and time consuming procedures have to be followed to bring the geothermal heat to the surface, growers in Macedonia may use the existing pipes running through the "Green Park Kocani" area. Simply said: "drill a hole, place a meter and..... 0 comments

Gatekeeper Systems opens UK office to meet worldwide demand
Gatekeeper Systems, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent cart solutions, announces it has opened an office in the United Kingdom (UK) to meet the changing and growing demands for retail loss prevention solutions among the UK market. Gatekeeper is excited to develop its global reach while continuing to..... 0 comments

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Czech Republic is the seventh-largest producer of bio food in Europe
Czech Republic: Organic farmers seeing growth
There is growth, it seems, in growing organic produce.The organic agriculture sector swelled nearly 50 percent in 2009 to a total of 2,689 organic farms, according to the industry research organization Bioinstitut. Organic farms now cover almost 400,000 hectares of Czech land, representing 9.38 percent of..... 0 comments

Organics, Italys' Almaverde Bio promoted in Greece
The Italian organic brand expands to Greece. Following the positive results achieved last year in the Greek market, at mid-March a campaign will start focusing mainly on Athens and Thessaloniki. The communication campaign provides in this first stage a series of billboards located near the outlets of the..... 0 comments

UK: Scientists develop robotic harvesting technology
Scientists are developing technology which will enable certain crops to be harvested robotically.Scientists from the National Physical Laboratory, in collaboration with KMS projects and Vegetable Harvesting Systems, have developed technology which will allow machines to identify the size of vegetables..... 0 comments

France: Maisadour invests in asparagus production
Maisadour, a French agricultural cooperative, has announced that it will increase its asparagus production by increasing cultivation and investing 150,000 euro in its Magescq plant in the Landes department.Maisadour, which produced 450 tons of asparagus in 2009, expects to raise the amount to 650 tons this..... 0 comments

France: Beginning of the strawberries season in Carpentras
Since about ten days, the strawberries season began in Carpentras (South of France).The bad weathers conditions in the South delayed the beginning of the harvest of one week. The first collected varieties are Gariguette and Clery.Mr Frizet, specialized exporter in the strawberry, plans an increase of the..... 0 comments

Asia

Philippines: Mango processing plant gets P4 million grant
Cebu-based Southern Partners and Fair Trade Center, Inc. (SPFTC) has signed a grant contract with the Japanese Government to upgrade its mango processing facilities and provide new equipment in its Naga City, Cebu plant.SPFTC Managing Director Geraldine M. Labradores and Ambassador Makoto Katsura signed the..... 0 comments

India: Mango and Food Processing units in Tamil Nadu
Shri Subodh Kant Sahai, Minister of Food Processing Industries informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply that Food Processing Industries are set up both in organized and unorganized sectors and as such data on the number of food processing units in the country including Tamil Nadu is not centrally maintained..... 0 comments

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Philippines: Gibberellic acid produces seedless rambutan fruits
Isn't it more enjoyable to eat rambutan fruits when these are seedless? Yes, just like grapes, rambutan fruits can also be produced sans the seeds, a technology which is now being pioneered by the Aklan State University (ASU) in Banga, Aklan.Dr. Marilyn Romaquin, dean of ASU College of Agriculture, Forestry..... 0 comments

India: Mangoes in full bloom, but don’t rejoice yet
Across the Malihabad town of Uttar Pradesh, growers are joyously looking at their blooming trees. This year has seen a record flowering and the blooms are so far not even infested with pests.Growers and orchard owners say such plentiful flowering has not been witnessed in the past three decades. Experts,..... 0 comments

India: Bumper orange crop in Vidarbha region farmers happy
Farmers and wholesalers in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region of India's Maharashtra state are delighted to receive bumper orange crops this year.Farmers have been receiving fewer crops in the last few years due to less rainfall, unfavourable weather conditions and crops diseases.But this year the yield has..... 0 comments

Apple commission leader says Middle East offers strong but stable market
Iraq, Iran could become apple export markets
Iraq and Iran could be future expansion points for the otherwise stable but highly competitive Middle East market for Washington apples, says the president of the Washington Apple Commission.Back from a February visit to the Middle East, Todd Fryhover, president of the Wenatchee-based commission, said Iraq..... 0 comments

Retail

• Kenya: Nakumatt buys rival for Sh400m
• Canada: Sobeys reports slight growth in Q3
• US: Safeway Inc. Board of Directors declares quarterly dividend
• Belgium: Delhaize sees stronger profit growth in 2010
• US: Musgrave made radical changes to its scheme
• Australia: Mitre 10 investors approve majority ownership by Andrew Reitzer's Metcash

Economy

• Vietnam's export to Thailand down 6 pct in 2009
• India aims to be world's fastest growing economy
• Brazilian government optimistic despite GDP fall
• Latvian economy contracted 18 pct last year
• EU: Euro may rise to 5-week high against yen
• Taiwan dollar may advance to 18-month high
• Swiss franc edges up against most majors
• Chile peso falls to 1-week low on reconstruction funding bets
• Korea pressure for low rates raises inflation threat

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