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Monday, March 02, 2015

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India: 20-25% drop in grape production volumes
The weather’s impact on the country’s grape exports has been moderate, according to Mahagrapes Technical Manager Sachin Korde, since “In Nashik, which is the main exporting region, along with Sangli and Solapur, the rain’s intensity has just been small to medium. The weather now is cloudy, but I expect it.....

Job Offers:

• BrownGrow, International Sales Manager - Global

SUNSET® harvesting from EnviroFresh Farms
First Canadian peppers available
It may not feel like Spring outside, but that’s not stopping SUNSET®; their fresh, greenhouse grown peppers are the first Canadian crop available in stores this year.SUNSET® sweet bell peppers are grown at their greenhouse facility EnviroFresh Farms in Ontario. EnviroFresh is the company’s first carbon.....

Legal terms agree to go to trial
Nadorcott infringement matter postponed
In South Africa, by agreement between all the parties, the interdict application brought by NADOR COTT PROTECTION SARL (NCP) & CITROGOLD (PTY) LTD against EUROSEMILLAS, STARGROW & OTHERS (CASE NUMBER: 16303/14) against the sale of Tango in South Africa has been withdrawn. At the same time, the.....

Eduardo Costa, manager of IMG:
"We expect stonefruit season with large volumes and good quality"
Although the Spanish cherry and stonefruit campaign will not kick off for weeks, and despite the fact that changes in the weather could still take a toll on the current prospects, early estimates point to a season with large volumes and good quality. "The 2015 stonefruit campaign will start soon and.....

Slow start for Argentinan topfruit exports
So far this year, the apples and pears exports from Argentina have been affected by different factors, which has been noticed this season due to lower shipments.Severe problems have affected the start of the harvests of pome fruit in the zones of Rio Negro and Neuquen (the main productive areas of these.....

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Tomate Jouno focuses on specialty niche
Citing changing consumer interests, Tomate Jouno, a French grower of greenhouse tomatoes, has begun growing exclusively cherry and cocktail tomatoes. The move coincides with their introduction of new cocktail tomato varieties for sale.“It's a new challenge for us to be specialized in only small tomatoes,”.....

Fyffes boss rules out mega merger deal
Fyffes has no appetite to merge with another big player after the collapse of a combination with Chiquita late last year, according to chairman David McCann.The former solicitor ruled out another deal with the likes of Del Monte. "A very substantial transformation like what we have just seen is not something.....

Arctic apple company sold
Just one week after its first genetically modified apples got the green light from the USDA, Okanagan Specialty Fruits has been acquired by a company specializing in synthetic biology.Intrexon Corporation today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Okanagan Specialty Fruits, the company.....

How the world packages fresh produce
Fruit and vegetables play an important role in healthy nutrition and are high on the list of consumer priorities. However the major obstacle of purchasing ready-to-eat fresh-cut fruits and vegetables is their short shelf life, leading to quick degeneration and decomposition of the product and undesirable.....

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End to labor strike too late for some
A week after West Coast dockworkers and their employer came to a tentative labor agreement, eight ships are anchored in Puget Sound and thousands of containers are sitting at terminals in Tacoma and Seattle, leaving Washington importers and exporters to wonder how long it will take for business to return to.....

AU: Good test results for gourmet tomato variety
An independent study of gourmet tomato varieties in Bundaberg has revealed a new tomato that has recently hit the market is delivering great results both on-farm and at the consumer level. The study undertaken by Hortus Technology Services was conducted near Bunderberg and assessed the in-field performance.....

NZ: Pear season starts, market holding well
The first Honey Belle™ pears out of New Zealand are making their way to Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and China, with the first about to arrive on Asian shelves within 10 days. “We’ve also started air freight shipments to Singapore,” adds Andrew Common, Marketing Manager for Kiwi Crunch, a Twyford.....

IG International:
India: Brand catering to premium banana consumers launched
'Rich banana' is a brand launched by the Indian fruit exporter IG International for both the domestic and the export market to cater to customers who are looking for top quality fruit. Director Tarun Aurora explains that “Currently we have ripening facilities for Rich Banana in Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai. The.....

Grower and environmentally friendly apple variety
Crimson Snow® branded apples make their entry in the market: 2 important German retailer are running a “limited edition” program for some weeks. Samples are going to the most important Italian retailer, all European markets, as well as in North Africa, Arabian countries and Asia. Eraldo Barale (Sanifrutta),.....

North America

US (FL): Strawberry capital sours a bit on trademark fruit
Some farmers in the strawberry capital of the world are souring on the fruits of their labor. Cold snaps, falling prices and worker shortages have combined to convince some farmers to scale back on strawberries, leading to a decline in acreage of Plant City's top crop for the first time in at least a.....

US: Green Giant completes herb facilities
Green Giant Fresh has completed its national network of fresh herb packing facilities. These locations extend their ability to deliver premium fresh herbs around the country from certified local and regional farms.Green Giant Fresh CEO, Jamie Strachan said “These strategic locations mean better efficiencies.....

USDA: Trans Pacific Partnership benefits all 50 states
In conjunction with a series of Made in Rural America Executive Actions announced last Thursday by President Obama and the White House, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released data today showing the opportunities for agriculture of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) to help boost agricultural.....

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US (NM): Pecan farms exceed expectations
Doña Ana County pecan farmers said the recent harvesting season capped off a solid year for the crop.Separately, a major yearly gathering within the pecan industry is slated to begin Suday in Las Cruces.Overall, the recent season yielded tonnage about on par with expectations — and possibly slightly higher,.....

US (CA): No Federal water 2nd year in a row
A federal agency says it will not release any water for farmers in the Central Valley of California this year, forcing them to find other sources or leave fields unplanted.The announcement Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation marks the second consecutive year the agency will provide no water to the vast.....

Apple top dirty dozen: fifth year in a row
Apples, peaches, and nectarines topped EWG’s 2015 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in ProduceTM list of the dirtiest, or most pesticide-contaminated, fruits and vegetables, a new analysis of U.S. government data found. Apples turned up with the highest number of pesticides for the fifth year in a row, while.....

Key Technology introduces new digital sorter for grading dates
Key Technology introduces DateSort™, its newest digital sorter for grading dates. This compact and mobile sorter combines mechanical pre-cleaning to remove foreign material (FM) with optical sorting to grade dates by size. As the lowest cost digital sorting system for dates, DateSort eliminates manual.....

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Central America

Guatemala and Honduras announce a free trade area
The First Encounter of the Prosperity Partnership of the North Triangle (APP) was held in the Honduran Caribbean. In it, the presidents of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez and the president of Guatemala, Otto Pérez Molina, and El Salvador, Salvador Sanchez Ceren, met with representatives from various sectors.....

South America

Colombian avocado exports up 140%
Avocado plantings in Colombia continue. There is an air of optimism amongst local entrepreneurs, who, encouraged by strong demand in the European market, the relatively low production costs and the future opening of the U.S. market, are investing heavily in the future of Colombian Hass."Exports are booming;.....

Asia

Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre:
Concern over vegetable imports from mainland China
With safety concerns to the fore, more than 81 per cent of Hongkongers prefer vegetables grown locally to those imported from the mainland, a study by the Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre found.Some 80 per cent of the 967 respondents wanted to see the proportion of the city's vegetables grown locally.....

India: University develops seedless cucumber
Paving the way for a fillip in ‘polyhouse’ cucumber cultivation, the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has developed a seedless hybrid cucumber variety, ideal for polyhouse cultivation.This is the first such hybrid developed by a public sector research team in South India, according to reports on.....

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Foodpolis, smart way to unlock Chinese market
The U.S. government recently complained about China’s subsidies to enterprises including food manufacturers.Last year, E-mart, Korea’s largest supermarket chain, pulled out of China after 17 years of operations there.Despite such difficulties, the Chinese food market, with its 1.4 billion customers, is still.....

India: Modi apples gain popularity
Ten months after the Modi wave swept the country, and later maintained its crest during state polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, another Modi is making its presence felt at the wholesale market in Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Vashi – an apple variety from Italy.Moments after the third.....

Iraq: Citrus productivity in Diyala down by 70%
The Agricultural Committee in Iraq's Diyala province confirmed a decline in citrus production for the current season of more than 70% because of the security unrest and displacement of growers as a result of military operations.It stated that this major setback for the province's citrus producers will likely.....

Jordan: Onion growers protest against imports
A great number of Jordanian onion growers protested in front of the Ministry of Agriculture against the granting of import licenses, coinciding with the start of the local onion season. They request imports to be stopped so that local growers can sell their production in the Jordanian market.The Minister of.....

Sri Lanka sees reduction in food prices
Sri Lanka's inflation, as measured by the change in the Colombo Consumers' Price Index (CCPI) , declined considerably to 2.9 percent in February 2015 from 3.2 percent in the previous month on a year-on-year basis, the Central Bank reported on Friday.The absolute CCPI computed by the Department of Census and.....

India: Mango exports likely to take a hit
The unseasonal rains and winds might cast its shadow on mango exports this season as farmers say continued rains will delay the harvest. Rain, thundershowers and hailstorms are being reported from various parts of the state and the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted more such rains in the next 24.....

Philippines: Red onion prices nose dive
Pangasinan–Farm gate prices of red onions here continued to nose-dive, sending hundreds of farmers worrying about how to recoup their borrowed farm expenses.On Tuesday, a kilogram of red onions was selling for P10 to P13, said Mercedes Solis-Peralta, the town’s agriculturist. She said this was the lowest.....

India: Tax relief for cold storage
The government has given exemption from service tax to certain pre-cold storage services for fruits and vegetables, a move aimed at promoting food processing sector and checking price rise of perishable items. "The tax exemption is being extended to certain pre-cold storage services in relation to fruits and.....

Europe

Manuel Baides: "The Russian veto has pushed Spanish citrus prices overseas"
First Spanish Lane Late shipments to the UAE and Asia
An attractive-looking fruit, with good colour and flavour; that is how Manuel Baides, purchasing manager at Alquimia Fruits, describes the first Lane Late oranges loaded into containers bound for the UAE and other markets in Asia.According to Manuel, prices in the current citrus campaign are still averaging.....

UK: Entrepreneur turning cauliflower into rice
Cutting carbs is a popular way of losing weight, but for a lot of people there's nothing more satisfying and filling than a mound of potatoes or a steaming bowl of pasta. Now entrepreneur Gem Misa thinks she’s developed an easy way to help people eat less stodge - without feeling like they’re not having a.....

Strawberry prices up 30% compared to 2013
Diversification and a reduction in the acreage have made it possible for strawberry prices at origin in Huelva, the Spanish province concentrating 90% of the national production, to increase by 30%at this stage of the campaign compared to 2013.This was revealed during the third meeting of the Strawberry.....

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Spain: Average cucumber price did not exceed 0.46 Euro/kilo in 2014
The average price at origin of cucumbers in 2014, taking all varieties into account, was of 0.46 Euro per kilo, the second lowest in the last ten years, according to data from the Prices and Markets Observatory of Andalusia.The average price of the last decade has been of 0.53 Euro per kilo.The best average.....

Jackie Boussier:
"No revival in sight for apples"
There is still a sombre atmosphere in the apple market. There is little change. There was a small improvement for pears over the last few weeks. According to Jackie Boussier of export company Boussier the apple price could go up a few cents during supermarket offers. "This is when wholesalers motivate people.....

Phil Hogan
EC will use Spanish food standards as example for Europe
Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Union, said the food standards implemented in Spain and UK would be used as a model to develop European policies to correct unfair practices in the chain. Hogan delivered a lecture on the potential of European agriculture in the.....

Spain: Stable prices and increased supply in Almeria
February ended without big changes in terms of prices, despite the increases recorded in recent weeks, which have slowed down recently due to increased production because of the mass harvest of some crops that had reached the end of their cycle and had to be cleared to be able to clean and carry out the.....

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Oceania

AU: Mangoes, bananas center of research project
Queensland’s two iconic summer fruits – bananas and mangoes – are the focus of a $1 million three-year research project that aims to improve the productivity and sustainability of the crops across tropical Australia.The multi-agency research project will focus on soil health and trial innovative techniques.....

AU: Claim that US onions brought superbug
Onions imported from the US are suspected of bringing a deadly strain of superbug into Australia. The highly virulent strain of Clostridium difficile (C-diff), a spore-forming bacterium which causes severe diarrhoea and is resistant to many antibiotics, swept through Europe and the US before arriving in.....

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Tonga halts Auckland fruit imports over fruit fly scare
All imported fruits from Auckland in New Zealand have been temporarily banned by Tonga.Radio Tonga reports this is after a warning from New Zealand authorities that the Queensland Fruit Fly is damaging fruit in Auckland and could cause the same damage in Tonga.The Acting Director of Agriculture Dr Viliami.....

Breeding oomph back into NZ apples
Roxy and Big Daddy are set to make it big. They are colourful characters, and tasty.They have been in the making for 20 years and now it's planned to put them on the international market.The pair are new apple varieties, the darlings of Nelson orchardist and breeder Bill Lynch who reckons there are too many.....

NZ: Seeka on growth trajectory
Seeka Kiwifruit Industries Ltd is back on a growth trajectory, both in size and profitability, says CEO Michael Franks.The company has announced a net, after-tax profit of $3.17 million - up 38 per cent on the previous year's $2.3 million - in its audited financial results for the year ended 31 December 31,.....

Africa

Tanzania tomato price soars
Tomato prices in the country have soared by 375 percent in just a month, pushing the commodity beyond the reach of majority poor folks due to scarcity of the product resulting from tomato leaf miner pest outbreak.The pest (Scientifically known as Tuta absoluta) that first hit the horticulture sector at.....

Egypt and Russia sign new cooperation protocols
Last Tuesday, Egyptian and Russian authorities signed new conventions and protocols, including an agreement to ensure administrative cooperation for the prevention of customs violations.This is one of the results of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Cairo earlier this month, which led to the.....

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Uganda: Local fruits used for soft drinks
Meeting officials from Coca-Cola and Pepsi this week, the President noted that Uganda can easily outcompete other players in the production of coffee, banana and milk, among others, on the world market because the country uses cheap family labour in the production of those products.The investors who had.....

World

Software solution for packing logistics
Custom software specialists ABC Software have created a comprehensive packhouse software solution called ABC Pack. The software encompasses Bin Delivery, Grading Batch/ Run, Palletising, Inventory Management, Sales Orders, Despatch and Invoicing. Each of these modules can be customised to your needs, and.....

Retail

US: Whole Foods execs optimistic on grocer’s future
In a move to improve their contact with their investors, Austin-based Whole Foods Market hosted their first investor conference Friday and lauded recent efforts to boost the brand’s presence.The two-day event, which kicked off at the retailer’s Domain store Thursday night and culminated with panel.....

Tesco Ireland cuts 25 positions at Dublin head office
Tesco Ireland has made up to 25 positions redundant at its head office in Dublin as the impact of Dave Lewis, the parent group’s new chief executive, becomes apparent in its Irish operation.Mr Lewis has vowed to restore struggling Tesco’s profits and said he will cut its central administration costs by 40.....

US: Supermarket giant Kroger eyeing HaWaii
Supermarket giant The Kroger Co., which nearly acquired Safeway a year ago, may be eyeing Hawaii for its first locationin the Islands.The Cincinnati-based company, which is the largest supermarket chain in the U.S. and the second-largest general retailer in the nation behind only Wal-Mart Stores , registered.....

7-Eleven Malaysia posts 70% jump in Q4 net profit
7-Eleven Malaysia saw a 70 % jump in fourth quarter net profit on sales growth, gross profit margin expansion and growth in other operating income which was partially offset by the increase in selling, distribution, administrative and other operating expenses in line with store expansion.Total stores.....

Finland: Kesko CEO wary of discounters
Aamulehti, the Finnish morning newspaper, has carried out an interview with Kesko CEO Mikko Helander, during which he evinced concern at the effect discount retailing is having on Finland's agricultural industry.He expounded the belief that a difficult period could ensue for the sector if foreign discount.....

AU: Code of conduct for food and grocery
Shoppers could look forward to cheaper groceries at the checkout as a result of a new food and grocery code of conduct to be in place from tomorrow.Small Business Minister Bruce Billson today announced the government’s planned code, but said the major supermarkets would have to agree to voluntarily adopt the.....

AU: Woolworths CEO says supermarket hasn't lost its 'mojo'
Since profit downgrades yesterday, Woolworths has attracted criticism from industry heads arguing the retailer is no longer the market leader it used to be. Donald Williams of Platypus Asset Management even went as far as to say that the supermarket had “lost their mojo”.“Woolworths used to be the leading.....

AU: Food supplier code goes ahead without Metcash
The federal government is proceeding with its proposed food industry code despite the refusal of Metcash to sign the legally-backed document.Australian Food and Grocery Council chief Gary Dawson and Small Business Minister Bruce Billson launched the code today with Metcash’s support, but without its.....

France: Auchan and Système U will exchange stores
Two of France's largest distributors have struck a deal to exchange stores: Auchan will take over Système U's hypermarkets, while the latter takes care of Auchan's supermarkets."Intensify our collaboration"Officially the move is not a merger, but just an "intensification" of the Auchan-Système U.....

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Cats vs. bananas