Mushroom farming grows in the Inland Northwest

Josh Yake, founder and owner of Gourmet Foragables & More, of Spokane, says he remembers when he was the only mushroom vendor at Inland Northwest farmers markets. But over the…

Stars, stripes and sweet corn

Summer is officially underway as Connecticut farmers are picking early varieties of sweet corn in time for you to celebrate our nation’s independence this upcoming weekend. Whether you are planning…

"Ships are moored for days outside ports in the Caribbean or Central American region"

Ecuador is one of the world's leading countries regarding bananas. The country has so far marketed around 20 percent of its produce to Russia, equivalent to about 1.5 million…

2022 seeing better organic banana supplies over 2021

Organic banana supplies have improved over this time last year. Along with Mexico, Organics Unlimited’s organic Cavendish bananas come from Ecuador as well to ensure year-round reliable availability. “Last year, growing regions were hit by a devastating storm. Luckily Mother Nature has been kind so far this…

Ecuador’s banana exports to resume after end of crippling nationwide protests

Ecuador’s banana industry, which came to the brink after 18 days of protest action by indigenous people, is eager to resume farming operations, clear the backlog of over 1 000 containers and continue with exports. This is after the government and the protesting indigenous community reached an agreement…

LinkedIN

Extreme price pressure on banana producers

Despite the recent surge in inflation and despite decades of increasing costs and sustainability requirements for banana producers around the world, UK retail prices for bananas are still below the level seen in 1987. This is the finding of Rabobank’s fresh produce expert Cindy Van Rijswick, who gathered…

NZ onion industry applauds NZ$6 million EU tariff elimination

The New Zealand onion industry is applauding the complete elimination of tariffs - worth NZ$6 million annually - on onion exports to the European Union (EU) when the free…

Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics' initial acreage forecast: -9,3% seed onions, +7,7% ware potatoes

In the Netherlands, in 2022, there were 536,000 hectares of agricultural land. That is 105,000 hectares (+2%) more than a year before. The barley area increased the most, but fewer seed onions and starch potatoes were grown. The acreage of arable crops has fallen by more than 15% since 2000. That is what…

Onionology campaign tells story of time, money, and energy devoted to growing onions

Gills Onions recently enlisted FoodMix Marketing Communications, a food marketing agency, to launch an Onionology ad campaign. FoodMix took the brand’s current look and feel and recreated it to align with its proud voice and attributes by using handmade scientific illustrations and a family farm-esque…

Trade issues, inflation and Future Farm Bill weigh on US potato growers

Geopolitical turmoil, global changes, trade issues and politics have all impacted the American potato industry over the past year and will continue to do so into the second…

New dragon fruit program being launched

For this 7th Edition of the Organic Produce Summit, Covilli is thrilled to bring its newest, most exotic, sweetest super fruit: the Pitahaya, widely known as Dragon Fruit. In the works for the past three years, this crop from the cacti family grows on a succulent and is native to Southern Mexico and…

Avocados in service of 100-year old women’s shelter in central Johannesburg

The avocado buyers of NuLeaf Brands and South African retailer Pick n Pay were profoundly moved by the women and children they met at the Frida Hartley Shelter in Yeoville, Johannesburg.On the very morning of their visit as part of charity and teambuilding, the shelter had actually run out of food,…

Pitahaya fires up the imagination of Boland fruit grower

Louw de Wet doesn’t much like the name dragon fruit, preferring to call it pitahaya or fire fruit – a fruit that has fired up his imagination ever since he first saw it in a photo seven years ago.He has himself had to verify the variety names of plant material he’d received from elsewhere in the country,…

Ecoation to partner with Mexican University

As a Canadian organization committed to higher education as well as advancing agriculture and food production worldwide, Ecoation is proud to announce it has signed a partnership agreement with one of Mexico's most prominent and well-respected agricultural universities, Ceickor Centro University, located…

Greenyard completes real estate transaction with real estate investor W.P. Carey

Greenyard confirms the completion of the earlier announced lease-and-lease-back transaction, with real estate investor W.P. Carey Inc., of its Greenyard Prepared facility in…

Pure Harvest Smart Farms secures USD $180.5 million from global investors to fund expansion

Pure Harvest Smart Farms (Pure Harvest), a sustainable technology-enabled agribusiness headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, raised USD $180.5 million in their latest growth funding round. The financing was embraced by a consortium of key global investors, including Metric Capital Partners, UK, IMM Investment…

Transport sector offers both challenges and logistical handling opportunities

There are plenty of challenges in the logistics sector. But, it offers opportunities too. That is according to Jochen Borremans, Managing Director of Bingo Trans, a Belgian company focused on the logistical handling and transporting BelOrta's fruit and vegetables. He says there is a particular demand for…

Congested Port of Oakland cuts free wait time for import containers

The Port of Oakland will no longer be lenient with the long-dwelling import containers clogging its ports. On July 1, Oakland is reducing the tariff-free time from seven days…

Robotic pollinator might decrease reliance on bees

WSU researchers are creating a robotic pollination system to stabilize the pollination process, decreasing growers’ dependence on bees. According to Matthew Whiting, professor…

US to give temporary work visas to 150,000 migrants in Mexico

Mexico’s Interior Minister Adán Augusto López Hernández has stated that the United States will issue 150,000 temporary work visas to Mexicans and migrants currently in Mexico.…

Tropcat GmbH

"We don't compete with regional German products, we complement the range"

Woman power, enthusiasm and love for organic certified fruits and vegetables, that's what Anieska Reynaldo values when it comes to her company Tropcat. Under the product name "Naya," she imports organically grown fruits and vegetables from Central and South America and Spain for the German market. "We…

Community comes together to build fruit research station in west central Michigan

In 2018, a small group of fruit and vegetable growers discussed a proposal by Andy Riley, a grower at Riley Orchards in Mears. Riley Orchards is a fifth-generation-family farm…

'EU Free Trade Deal will add more restrictions, rather than granting new access to trade’

According to ACT Deputy Leader and Trade spokesperson Brooke van Velden, the EU Free Trade Deal will ‘add more restrictions, rather than granting new access to trade’. “Free…

Zespri welcomes EU-FTA signing

Zespri has welcomed the signing of New Zealand’s free trade agreement with the European Union, noting the significant benefits it delivers to business, consumers and communities in both countries.…

More than 26 years jail time demanded for main blackmail suspect, attacks' mastermind in De Groot fresh group case

"A terror campaign of a severity, scale, and duration never before seen in the Netherlands." This is how the prosecutor characterized the allegations against 37-year-old Ali…

Charentais melons grown in Belgium for the first time

The summer season is in full swing at REO Veiling in Belgium. Strawberries and woody berries are being marketed under the Fine Fleur quality label. This year, this cooperative's summer assortment has a special addition: Belgian Charentais cantaloupes. Usually, Charentais melons are imported from central and…

Watermelon retail merchandising contest call for entries

The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) invites retail chains, independent retailers and commissaries to submit entries to its 14th annual Watermelon Retail…

“Harvesting large volumes of blueberries should be delayed by about 7 to 10 days”

The Polish blueberry season is expected to kick off in about two weeks. The weather has been pretty kind to the blueberries, with major frosts not making an appearance this year. Volumes should be strong, and there will be opportunities for both export as well as the domestic market. Sandra Stefaniak-Syguła,…

Stronger supplies of California organic basil in 2022

Supplies of organic basil are greater this year. Jacobs Farm del Cabo has been steadily building a stronger basil supply each year, and this year will have more available than last year.  At Jacobs Farm del Cabo, basil is grown in Watsonville, California, year-round. “Our basil supply is plentiful and local…

Record buyer attendance at foodservice conference includes school buyers

International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) Foodservice Conference scheduled for July 28-29 will have the highest buyer participation in 42 years with over 800 buyers.…

Interpera 2022 sees the current challenges of the pear sector but believes in a brighter future

The 13th edition of Interpera, the international pear congress, has closed after a dense 3-day programme in Rotterdam and around the Netherlands. "Let’s face it, the current…

South African power grid under immense strain as cold stores prepare for new EU orange protocol

The Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning calls South Africa's national electricity supplier Eskom "a national risk" as South Africa is experiencing stage 6 loadshedding which means at least 6 hours of power cuts over a period of 24 hours, often during…

"The expected demand for lemons in the Far East market did not materialize"

The Turkish lemon season has been a satisfying one, says Mustafa Arslan, owner of MDA Agricultural Products: “Overall, we’ve had a very productive lemon season. From the beginning until the end of the season, it has been a very high quality and successful season for our Meyer, Interdonato and Lamas…

USDA

Morocco saw record citrus production in MY 2021/22

Production estimates for tangerines/mandarins, oranges, lemons, and orange juice remain unchanged from the December 9, 2021 Annual Citrus Report. Morocco experienced record citrus production in MY 2021/22. The 12 percent increase over MY 2020/21 is due to favorable weather conditions during the growing…

Date grower-shipper highlights organic offerings in Monterey

Bard Valley Natural Delights® is exhibiting at this year’s Organic Produce Summit at booth #417 with its variety pack sizes of organic whole and pitted Medjool dates. The Natural Delights brand provides organic consumers and foodservice packaging sizes to accommodate a variety of date consumers.  According…

New study looks at effects of whole blueberry and freeze-dried blueberry powder on cardiovascular health in young adults

Blueberries are rich in polyphenols, and their effect on cardiovascular health has been investigated in interventional studies. However, the difference between blueberry…

McCain Foods Ltd. invests in the future of farming

McCain Foods Limited has acquired the predictive crop intelligence portfolio from Resson, an analytics technology firm enhancing farming efficiency. Resson's…

Eco-solutions for a concrete circular economy

The latest market research highlights how, when choosing what to buy, in everyday life, besides the product quality (which remains a constant at the top), a new variable has entered the game: the environmental impact of the product and of its packaging and the negative effects that they will have on the…

The added value of ginger juice

Ginger has always been a staple in Chinese cooking. But, these days, you find it in many drinks, like tea, blends, shots, and even beer. Its spicy kick means it has also even been deemed an alternative to alcohol. It is now available in liquor stores in beautifully designed bottles and is priced similarly to spirits. Now…

The delicate work of keeping herbs cold

Keeping the cold chain intact is always critical when transporting produce. But it may be particularly more important in moving herbs. “Herbs are a highly perishable item with a very short life. The way you manage the cold chain directly impacts the quality and shelf life of the herb,” says Grego…

How to ensure operations follow FDA’s new era of smarter Food Safety

In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration released the Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan to better respond to the various foodborne outbreaks under its…

Almond Alliance supports growers frustrated by supply chain and water troubles

While almonds are California’s second-largest crop, bringing in $5.62 billion in sales in 2020, almond growers feel they are being thwarted by two factors over which they have…

New cardboard packaging for The Greenery's soft fruit and fruit-vegetables

Red, yellow, green, pink, and purple. The Greenery's new, colorful cardboard packaging is here. This new house-style packaging line, developed in consultation with The Greenery growers, is now available for fruit-vegetables and soft fruits. For fruit-vegetables, this new packaging is available for…

New climate research shows that ‘clean eating’ is more complicated than we thought

For a while now, climate-conscious consumers have embraced plant-based diets as a way to avoid the emissions-heavy meat industry. However, new research suggests a low-carbon…