Spanish garlic production decreases by 20% due to a lack of calibers

According to ANPCA records, despite having been grown in a similar area, Spain's garlic production was smaller than last year due to the adverse weather conditions the crops…

Bananas from Belize at £0.85 per kg

This series gives the average wholesale prices of bananas by country of origin. The prices are national averages of the most usual prices charged for bananas at wholesale markets in Birmingham and London. This publication is updated weekly. The current average week prices of bananas stood at £0.85 for bananas…

Potato growers ask McCain Foods for 78% price increase

Potato farmers in the Ballarat region are demanding a higher price for their produce, claiming McCain Foods does not pay a fair price for the tuber. Last season, McCain Foods…

Egyptian sweet potato season has become more challenging every year

The Egyptian sweet potato season is currently in full swing, after having started in mid-July. According to Indji El-Shahawy, senior export sales manager for Egyptian produce exporter HNTS Group, the sweet potato seasons have become more challenging after the pandemic hit the world. “There is no doubt…

Sunripe ships first cargo of fresh avocados to China

Sunripe Vertical Agro has shipped off its first batch of fresh avocados to China. It becomes the second company to export fresh avocados to Shanghai where there is a great…

War, climate change and troublesome supply chain is driving avocado prices to new heights

Multiple problems, including a hailstorm in Mexico in June and rapidly rising fertilizer prices due to the impact of the war in Ukraine, have decimated avocado crops. The…

Lebanese prickly pear production might reach 12,000 tons

Youssef Fayyad, mayor of the southern Lebanese town of Al-Mari, spoke about this year’s successful prickly pear season: “This year’s successful season will secure an…

Pacific Trellis Fruit expands organization

Pacific Trellis Fruit/Dulcinea Farms welcomes Matt Tanner, Evangelina Kaudze and Shawn Young to its team. Tanner joins the company as senior sales executive. He brings nearly 30 years of produce industry experience and has held various sales and sales leadership roles throughout his career. Most…

Monterey Mushrooms welcomes sales manager

Jill Moran, a long-time Monterey Mushrooms teammate, rejoined the sales team as a sales manager based out of Watsonville, California. Moran will manage fresh mushroom sales…

Stord unlocks cold storage with Fresh Del Monte partnership

Cloud supply chain company Stord is adding cold storage capacity to its growing network of flexible warehousing. The company has announced a partnership with Fresh Del Monte…

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. reports strong Q2 2022 net sales amidst unprecedented cost pressures

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. has reported financial results for the second quarter ended July 1, 2022. "We delivered strong net sales during the second quarter, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of net sales growth compared with the prior-year periods — demonstrating the resilience of our iconic brand.…

Lamb Weston reports fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2022 results

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has announced its fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2022 results and provided its outlook for fiscal 2023. “We finished the year on a strong note,…

Strong local demand and new product sales contribute to improved interim results

Mpact, the largest paper and plastics packaging business and recycler in Africa, reported their interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2022. Bruce Strong, Chief…

US greenhouse grower expands with new Texas facility

Revol Greens is preparing for the opening in Temple, Texas, of its largest facility to date. Planting within the first of 20 planned acres in phase one of this new greenhouse is expected to start by the end of 2022. At scale and coupled with existing capacity, the Texas facility will provide Revol Greens…

Shipping jam negatively affects exports

Global shipping disruption is continuing, with two out of every three ships caught in what some call a 'traffic jam'. Kotahi chief executive David Ross says the shipping…

Maersk Costa Rica Express to make first call at DP World Southampton

Maersk’s Costa Rica Express service will make its first call at DP World Southampton this week. The primary import product for the new service is bananas, which will be…

Intech Worldwide GmbH

"We see applications for our collapsible containers everywhere along the supply chain"

Collapsible containers in all appropriate formats - from small to large - are being used more and more frequently in the fruit sector. From the harvest to the point of sale, the flexible agricultural crates have now proven their worth. And not only as transport containers, but as robust harvest helpers…

Photo 48998858 © Prasit Rodphan | Dreamstime.com

Carbon footprint of importing food could be 7.5x higher than thought

A new study in Nature Food has found that food’s transport emissions, once thought to be a negligibly small proportion of food systems emissions, are much higher than previously estimated and that the carbon footprint estimates of imported fruits and vegetables will be particularly impacted.  If you work in…

Hapag-Lloyd LIVE: installations for real-time tracking of standard containers starts in August

Back in April, Hapag-Lloyd announced that it would be the first shipping company in the world to outfit all of its standard containers with technology for real-time data…

“The lighter the peeler, the easier the user experience”

With the northern hemisphere entering the harvest season, pineapples, mangos and melons are consumed in large quantities. The Japanese peeler innovator Astra is again busy with orders from retail chains and small-scale factories with a need for fruit peeling. This month, the company is introducing the…

US trade mission to Philippines wants to unlock export opportunities

Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitley led a USDA trade mission to the Philippines from July 18 to 21. He was joined by representatives from 29 US…

EU’s fruit processing industry rings alarm over burden of cost increases

European producers of canned & frozen fruit, jams, fruit preserves and compotes are flagging the sector’s grave concerns over the continued steep increase of input costs.…

Miller calls on Biden to waive fertilizer tariffs

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has issued the following statement: “I am joining the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, and National Corn Growers…

Studies show “remarkable” potential for health benefits of grape consumption

Recent studies released by Dr. John Pezzuto and his team from Western New England University show “astonishing” effects of grape consumption and “remarkable” impacts on health…

European Commission

Average weighted price for peaches at €165 in week 30 of 2022

The average weighted price for peaches (in € per 100 kgs) stood at €165 in week 30 of 2022, an increase of €32 YoY. It was no less than €65 above the weekly 5-year average. In Greece, the prices came out at €114 per 100 kgs, in Spain, they were traded at €154, while in France, they sold for €200. Production of…

Grand Bernabeu, Sakata's latest piel de sapo melon for late transplants in La Mancha

Nearly 50 exhibitors have participated in this year's Ferimel fair, La Mancha's melon traditional fair, which is held every two years in Membrilla, Ciudad Real. Sakata Seed Ibérica participated in the event and presented its latest melon, pumpkin, and onion novelties. More than a hundred farmers have…

Canadian grower adds space to indoor strawberry farm

Ever Tru Farms, a vertically integrated year-round supplier of premium strawberries and a division of Soave Hydroponics, is launching phase two of its expansion. The farm will expand an additional 15 acres (653,000 sq. ft.), bringing it to a total of 40 acres of production. The company begins planting…

Taking a peek at the 2022-2023 Peruvian grape season

An early look at the Peruvian grape season indicates high-quality fruit will be coming again this season. “Things are looking great at our ranches in Ica, Peru. Our executive team just returned from Peru and their report indicates the vineyards are progressing as planned,” says Vanguard CEO Craig…

Peru increases exports of grapes, but reduces avocado and mango shipments

Non-traditional agro-industrial exports from Peru reached US$3,579 million between January and June 2022, a variation of 11.2% and representing 88.6% of the total. Fresh…

Big interest as new ARRA table grape varieties launched in California

The new very early generation of ARRA varieties launched at the recent field days in California has seen big interest from growers around the world with even more varieties set to be launched at the second field day planned for later in August. The new varieties under the new prefix named ARD are ARD 35,…

Hot, dry conditions affected summer fruit harvest in Poland

It’s been a dry season in Poland this summer, with little rain and temperatures staying above 25°C. Looking at quality and volumes, the strawberry crop’s harvest duration was…

“This season we will export around 35% of our UK cherry production to the middle East, Asia and European markets"

As the English cherry season draws to a close the weather has been a vast improvement on last year which saw cold, dull weather  “We are very happy about how this season has gone,” said Jon Clark, Director at FGA Farming. “The weather has been very kind: dry with lots of sunshine which produced good quality,…

"Herbs are used sparingly in culinary delights"

The gourmet segment loves herbs but in small volumes. In dishes put together using at least 25 steps, herbs are used sparingly, says Marcel Janssen of De Gerdeneer. He specialized in short-chain sales to the high-end catering industry but is slowly phasing that out. This is the third time Marcel is…

IFPA Southern Africa Conference to continue where PMA's Fresh Connections left off

PMA's Fresh Connections conference and expo are back this year, and although it has a new name, it will still be the same vibrant event as it has been for the past decade.…

Egypt remains the world’s largest orange exporter

Egypt is on track to become an agricultural powerhouse in Africa. In 2021, Egypt exported 5,6 million tons of agricultural goods, compared with 5,1 million tons in 2020.…

Save Foods builds momentum with Mexican lime exporters

Save Foods, Inc., an agri-food tech company specializing in eco crop protection that helps to reduce food waste and ensure food safety while reducing the use of pesticides, today announced the completion of several successful pilot programs with lime packers in Mexico, the world’s second-largest exporter…

"How should I react to the new European regulations on South African citrus?"

Unsettling news for South African exporters and European importers: the European Commission has decided to approve new regulations on the cold treatment requirements for South…

Inflation hits organic fresh produce in Q2

Higher retail prices of organic fresh produce during the second quarter of 2022 generated a 3.7 percent increase in total organic dollars but also contributed to a decline in organic volume of 2.8 percent, according to Q2 2022 Organic Produce Performance Report issued by the Organic Produce Network (OPN)…

‘Starch found in bananas can reduce some cancers by more than half’

A 20-year trial seems to indicate that a starch found in bananas can reduce some cancers by more than half. The international study, which included researchers from the…

Cybersecurity threat is escalating up and down the global supply chain

Five years ago, the largest maritime container shipping company in the world was hit with a cyberattack that crippled its booking system, stalled tracking of its containers…

Edible fruit and vegetable straws replace plastic

Minister of Environment, Say Samal, praised a Cambodian enterprise that makes straws from rice and vegetable matter rather than plastic. The straws are available in many…

“We’re ready to introduce our new possibilities to clients”

"Our 15,000m² expansion means DV Fresh is ready for the future," say CEO of DV Fresh, Peter Bauwens, and Dirk Verkinderen, its business manager. This Belgian company processes and packs vegetables. Growth is one reason for this expansion; the need to further automate is another. DV Fresh works according…

ZIM adopts Carrier’s Lynx Fleet solution

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, a leading international carrier with a global network serving ports in more than 120 countries, has installed over 5,000 units of Carrier…

EU increases checks on Kenyan fresh produce imports

Europe has lowered the detection threshold for chemical residues and pests on Kenya’s produce. It is a move that will raise the level of checks on exports of fresh produce.…

Blue Diamond Almond Growers spearhead ‘Almond Express’ rail service to Ports of LA and LB

As a result of cutbacks in sailings to the Port of Oakland, Blue Diamond Almond Growers are supporting two new rail services transporting almond exports from Central…

Packaging potatoes in paper: rational environmental or emotional consumer choice?

Some supermarkets back it 100%, others are just getting into it, and others still are staying far away: potatoes in paper bags. The retail sector, packaging world, and governments are wrestling with the choice: paper or plastic? Paper seems to have momentum, but will it genuinely dominate the shelves in…

“Carbon footprint calculations don’t have to be a headache or budget killer”

“Carbon footprint calculations don’t have to be a headache or budget killer. We make it simple, affordable and accessible for all growers in the food industry. We help primary growers to manage their climate impact throughout their supply chains effectively, efficiently and cost effectively through our…