Lower rambutan volumes but steady demand on US market right now

Tropical and exotic fruits have become increasingly popular in the US market in recent years and products which were previously only destined for ethnic markets are now also sold in larger retail chains. One of these products is rambutan, which is currently being sourced from Guatemala and Mexico. Andrés…

Supplies building on California broccoli

Supplies of broccoli out of California are down overall but they are slightly better than a few weeks ago. “Two weeks ago, supplies were down about 50 percent overall,” says Ryan Bitter of Salinas, CA-based Steinbeck Country Produce Inc. who ships its broccoli in the Nature's Reward label “We ran into…

Organic California pear harvest to start next week

California pear harvest is about to commence. Harvest of conventional varieties starts this week, and organics are expected to start in the week of July 13. “A mid-July start is about average, so we are right on track,” says Roy Ruff Regional Marketing Lead with Viva Tierra Organics. The last two years,…

Early hailstorms affect Alberta potato crops minimally

Alberta potato growers are heading into the month where they watch and wait on hail and the potential effect on its crops. In later June for example a sizeable hailstorm hit…

Study looks to find tools to protect young trees from HLB

While citrus growers continue to look for the best practices to fight the deadly huanglongbing (HLB) disease, researchers are taking an integrated approach at protecting young…

Colombian avocado milestone for Jupiter Group

The doors to the USA market opened for Colombian avocado in August 2017 and since that time, Jupiter Group have emerged as the single largest exporter of Hass avocado. Per the Volume Data and Projections by the Hass Avocado Board, Jupiter have exported more Colombian grown Hass avocado into the USA than…

Defining the new frontier of quality

James Rogers is a CEO & Founder of Apeel Sciences and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader 2020. He wrote the following about the definition of quality, and why redefining quality will help reduce and build a more efficient supply chain. “Throughout the COVID crisis, many of us have considered where…

Colombia to start exporting mandarins to the US again

Colombia will start to export mandarins to the United States again with the first shipment of this product to Puerto Rico, which will be shipped by the Frutales Las Lajas…

Newfoundland invests $2.75 mln to increase potato production

Newfoundland and Labrador will invest $2.75 mln. in funding for land development to increase large-scale potato production. This investment is part of a nearly $13 million…

Colombia maintains banana output

Colombia is the world’s fourth-largest banana exporter. According to an industry leader, it has maintained production and exports of the yellow fruit to its largest buyers, despite the twin threats…

Early hailstorms affect Alberta potato crops minimally

Alberta potato growers are heading into the month where they watch and wait on hail and the potential effect on its crops. In later June for example a sizeable hailstorm hit…

"Holland Onion's export volumes reach magnificent heights"

"This season was, once again, a top year for Dutch onions." This is what the Holland Onion Association writes in its newsletter. They go on to say, "At the end of week 24, export figures stood at more than 1,15 million. And so, remain ahead of the record 2017/2018 season. Even despite the logistical…

Newfoundland invests $2.75 mln to increase potato production

Newfoundland and Labrador will invest $2.75 mln. in funding for land development to increase large-scale potato production. This investment is part of a nearly $13 million…

Turkmenistan potato and onion harvest continues

Storage rooms in Turkmenistan continue to receive potatoes and onions grown by domestic agricultural producers. The lifting of the potatoes was started in June and will…

Chinese mango sales stable with slightly lower prices

“The weather in Hainan has been dry this year. The rainy season came about a month later than in previous years. So far, the weather conditions have had little effect on the growth of mangoes. Thanks to its unique geographical advantages, varieties from Hainan can be supplied successively and the total…

Thai fruit export to China increased by 15.3% in May

Mr. Jurin Laksanawisit, deputy prime minister of Thailand and minister of commerce, announced on July 2nd that Thai fruit export to China increased by 15.3% in May. This…

Colombian avocado milestone for Jupiter Group

The doors to the USA market opened for Colombian avocado in August 2017 and since that time, Jupiter Group have emerged as the single largest exporter of Hass avocado. Per the Volume Data and Projections by the Hass Avocado Board, Jupiter have exported more Colombian grown Hass avocado into the USA than…

Malaysia: Durians are fully booked even before ripening

A durian plantation in Terengganu has its fruits fully booked even before they have ripened. Owner Ismail Tawang said the his Cikgu Wei durians see a great demand every year.…

Malaysian fruit hawkers price their durians based on the car you drive

Durian lovers might want to consider leaving their car at home when purchasing their favorite tropical delights, as some fruit sellers are reportedly basing their prices on…

New Zealand: Avocado growers and locals quarrel over water rights

Far North avocado orchardists say jobs are being lost because of the delay in processing their water resource consents. However, locals say the water rights will not be handed…

Maersk to acquire KGH Customs Services

A.P. Moller - Maersk announces that it has reached an agreement with Bridgepoint Development Capital to acquire KGH Customs Services (KGH), a Sweden-based specialist in trade…

Nature’s Pride continues to expand

Nature’s Pride is expanding its existing business premises to facilitate further growth. The importer of exotic fruit and vegetables has scheduled the start to an expansion of 21,000 m2 for September. The company has chosen practically the same construction team responsible for the current premises to…

Tom Vandenkendelaere will take over as new CEO of Belgapom starting January 2021

After a career spanning 30 years, Romain Cools, the secretary general of Belgapom, will say farewell to Belgapom, the Belgian potato trade & processing industry association.…

“We will need to be creative with drawing people to our booth”

This is the first year that Gold Coast Packing will exhibit at the United Fresh show. While the format of the show has been changed, the company continues to look forward to their participation. Crystal Chavez, the company’s marketing coordinator, says: “We were disappointed when the show was moved to a…

"Greenhouse tomatoes flooding onto China market"

“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the overall fruit market this year has been sluggish. From growing to sales, each link of the supply chain has been facing various challenges in its operations different from previous years. As far as greenhouse tomatoes are concerned, sales performance earlier on is…

Vegetable processing machinery and production lines offered at online auction

Due to the closing of the production location of well-known vegetable manufacturer Carota, their machine park is offered online at Industrial Auctions. Amongst others infeed bunkers, destoners and peelers are open for bids. Carota's transport and logistics equipment is also going to be auctioned, for…

"Virtual exhibitions will indirectly foster innovation"

Around the globe companies are trying to come up with ways to cope with the COVID-pandemic. The fruit and vegetable sector was not as affected by the measures and shutdowns as others but keeping distance and finding enough employees has been a challenge. Another big change has been the cancellation of…

“This is an opportunity we should take advantage of”

In less than three weeks, the produce industry will experience its first virtual trade show ever, organized by the United Fresh Produce Association. “With our membership going back three decades, we’ve been a long-time supporter of the association,” says Marsha Verwiebe with Volm Companies. “We know that…

Honduras facilitates the arrival of qualified labor to Spain

The shortage of labor is a recurring problem in Spanish agriculture. It is especially daunting in some producing regions where the challenge of finding qualified agricultural workers is limiting the growth of companies. That's why the Circulo de Comercio Internacional association, together with the…

Temporary aid to Hungarian agro sectors

Horticulture, fruit and vegetable production in Hungary faced hard times, which is why a new regulative change allows for the allocation of €2.8 million for crisis prevention…

'No more productive land to go under concrete'

There has been a heated debate on the zoned industrial land on which the Whakatu Inland Port will be built. People are questioning about whether fertile land should be used…

Slovakia needs to remove restrictions on food retailers

The European Commission decided on Thursday to send a letter of formal notice to Slovakia requesting it to remove restrictions in the food retail sector. The Commission considers that the Slovak measures create more advantageous marketing conditions for domestic products and restrict retailers' freedom…

Hungary: Fruit prices set to rise

According to the director of the Hungarian Fruit and Vegetable Interprofessional Organization and Product Council (FruitVeB), István Hunyadi, a poor fruit yield is expected…

“Covid-19 forced us to reorient our herb sourcing”

Fresh herbs are now indispensable in many households. This product group is a definite keeper in many kitchens. But how's the herb market developing? What are the sustainability and transport trends? Marcel Schers of Xfresh, in the Netherlands, gives more insight into several topics. Breeder Jaganath,…

Rijk Zwaan to celebrate the Global Melon & Watermelon e-Vent 2020 in a virtual format

'New solutions for a new scenario.' This is the motto of Rijk Zwaan's 2020 edition of the Global Melon & Watermelon e-Vent. Due to current circumstances, the format of the…

Colombia to start exporting mandarins to the US again

Colombia will start to export mandarins to the United States again with the first shipment of this product to Puerto Rico, which will be shipped by the Frutales Las Lajas…

Study looks to find tools to protect young trees from HLB

While citrus growers continue to look for the best practices to fight the deadly huanglongbing (HLB) disease, researchers are taking an integrated approach at protecting young…

Oleg Doroshenko

Boost to organic agriculture in Mahaweli

Mahaweli Agriculture, Irrigation and Rural Development Minister Chamal Rajapaksa has declared an area of 3,600 hectares in the Moragahakanda-Kaluganga Mahaweli ‘F’ zone to be a sustainable development area for organic agriculture. The Minister has made the Order under Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka Act…

Food taxes coupled with fruit and veg subsidies can bring major health gains

According to researchers from Otago, Auckland and Melbourne Universities, a consumer tax on the saturated fat, salt and sugar content of food, accompanied by a 20 per cent…

Sustainable technologies against salinisation, algae growth and water scarcity

Water scarcity and soil salinisation are major problems in many parts of the world. In many countries, people lack the resources to access new water sources or to effectively treat and reuse it. Today we know working with chemicals is far from future proof. In contrast, the application of sustainable…

Defining the new frontier of quality

James Rogers is a CEO & Founder of Apeel Sciences and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader 2020. He wrote the following about the definition of quality, and why redefining quality will help reduce and build a more efficient supply chain. “Throughout the COVID crisis, many of us have considered where…

Bosch UK to work with Fieldwork Robotics to optimise robot crop harvesting technology

Frontier IP, a specialist in commercialising intellectual property, today announces that Robert Bosch Limited ("Bosch") has entered into an agreement to work with portfolio…

Kloosterboer starts construction of Cool Port II

13 July, Kloosterboer will begin the construction of a new state-of-the-art fully automated multi-customer high-bay cold-storage facility with a storage capacity of 60,000 pallets at City Terminal Rotterdam. The building is expected to be finished by January of 2022. Two years after the realisation of…

"Greengrocers and fruit and vegetable wholesalers can use dried fruit and nuts to distinguish themselves"

De NotenBeurs, a Dutch dried fruit and nut wholesaler, has been supplying these products since 1998. In the early years, its client base consisted of greengrocers, store chains, market vendors, and the hospitality industry. From the year 2000, the industry and wholesale sectors were added. In 2004, De…

Floods devastate Serbian crops and raspberry orchards

Due to climate change, the weather is becoming volatile and unpredictable. In South-Eastern as well as in Central Europe, winters are now miilder, spring weather is dry and turbulent, and summers are scorching hot. Plant cultivation is vulnerable, and droughts as well as floods can cause serious damages.…

Dutch lettuce grower cultivates throughout the summer

Grower Jan de Winter from the Dutch town of Ridderkerk started the cultivation of a patch of lettuce of a new, fusarium resistant variety so he can cultivate throughout the summer without having to steam the soil. “Last week, the demand was quite high due to the warm weather, so I have high expectations for…

Supplies building on California broccoli

Supplies of broccoli out of California are down overall but they are slightly better than a few weeks ago. “Two weeks ago, supplies were down about 50 percent overall,” says Ryan Bitter of Salinas, CA-based Steinbeck Country Produce Inc. who ships its broccoli in the Nature's Reward label “We ran into…

“Dry weather remains the biggest threat to Dutch asparagus”

The last Dutch asparagus were harvested last week. Rob Luysterburg of Luysterburg Agrifruit took some time to reflect on the 2020 season. He runs the company with his parents and twin sister. "It was a very different season," says Rob. He's been cultivating asparagus on his farm in the Netherlands since…

Useful bugs come from the sky

The fight against the red spider mite in the tomato industry is made possible thanks to useful insects launched by drones on a few hundred hectares in Emilia Romagna, between the provinces of Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Ravenna. The project is carried out by Bioplanet, together with an Italian company leader in the drones…

Caroselli and barattieri are preferred to the common cucumber

"For about two months I have been marketing cucumbers produced by organic farming, but I must say that this product turned out to be unsuccessful, due to the arrival of other…

Lettuce: a disastrous first half of 2020

The current trend on the lettuce market is not the best; as a matter of fact, this was not a good year, both because of the poorly paid products and for the abundant offer…

Tomatoes still very popular with the German consumer

German production increased by a further 3,400 tonnes last marketing year. Also, the trend towards more domestic goods continues. Consumer prices rose by over 13 percentage points…

Chinese garlic exports reach record high

The air-drying of Chinese garlic began in early May. The market was quickly dominated by half-dried garlic, but the growing supply volume kept the price low. Furthermore,…

Croatians urged to buy domestic vegetables

This Saturday, the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture (HPK) called on consumers, buyers and retailers to help domestic farmers by buying domestic vegetables. The reason behind…

Difficult season for Polish pepper producers

The harvest of green peppers began at the beginning of June. The first batches of Polish red pepper are also appearing on the market. Polish pepper producers expect smaller…

Tenderstem® broccoli looks forward to UK season with confidence

June marks the beginning of the UK-grown Tenderstem® broccoli season and despite challenging circumstances, the forecast looks sunny for the leading brassica brand, which has been working hard with licensees in the UK and overseas to ensure top quality, consistent supply throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.…

Super-spicy chillies hit UK shelves at Tesco’s

Tesco has responded to a growing demand for super-strength chillies by re-adding three of the world’s hottest peppers to its range. The supermarket giant has seen sales of…

This online platform ensures improved transparency at the container terminal

Year after year, container ships are breaking records with the number of containers they can carry onboard. But bigger doesn’t always mean faster. The Hutchison Ports ECT Rotterdam (ECT) online platform aims to change that. ECT Delta terminal Depending on the container ship’s call size, the number of…

Spain: Port of Valencia to build a new container terminal within next 10 years

The Valencia Port Authority has announced the construction of a new container terminal in the northern expansion by 2030. This is expected to increase the container volume capacity and double the economic activity of the port, said Aurelio Martinez, PAV president. According to Martinez, the North…

SpiceJet intends to expand cargo operations

With the increased need for cargo handling infrastructure and cargo delivery caused by COVID-19, SpiceJet has created warehouses and deployed several aircraft. The company is…

Temperature is the biggest challenge for cultivation in the Maldives

A pearly white beach and a vast blue ocean. This is the picturesque location for which many tourists travel to the Maldives every year. However, these islands in the Indian Ocean are tiny and are highly dependent on imports for fresh produce. They currently import 95% of their food. Fruit and vegetables…

Mekong Delta province to help Vietnamese growers combat drought and salt water situation

The People’s Committee of the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh will provide relief worth more than 40 billion VND (US$1.7 million to more than 28,000 farming households to revive the province's agriculture. This was severely affected by drought and saltwater intrusion in the 2019 - 20 dry season.Pham…

Vegetable imports Russian Federation up in first quarter of 2020

According to SeaNews Russian Foreign Trade Customs Statistics online service, in Q1 2020 Russia imported 575,200 of vegetables worth $583.5 million. In tonnage terms, imports…

Ghana: Vegetable producers demand structured funding to survive

Representatives of over 60 Ghanaian vegetables value chain-associated institutions and networks have proposed a Horticultural Support Facility that should be part of a broader…

COVID-19 has altered the diet of Ghanaians

In order to stay healthy during the pandemic, Ghanaians are now adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet. The proper intake of fruits and vegetables protect the body…

South African farmers lose billions each year due to theft

In South Africa, the scope of theft of agricultural products such as maize, fruit and livestock is exceedingly difficult to quantify, but the fact is that such crimes have a…

Azerbaijan imported 186 thousand tons of fruit and veg in first 5 months of 2020

In the first 5 months of this year (January-May), Azerbaijan imported 186.1 thousand tons of fruits and vegetables. According to the State Customs Committee, the cost of…

Growers sell produce at Mumbai housing society

Maharashtra growers sold 136,615 tons of fruits and vegetables directly to consumers between March 27 and June 30. This means that thousands of farmers in have sold a whopping…

Ukraine got rid of its dependence on the Russian market in fruit and veg sector

According to EastFruit analysts, over the years of the Russian embargo, Ukrainian vegetable growers have managed to completely get rid of their former dependence on this…

Tajikistan’s agricultural exports up to June increased by 35.8%

From the beginning of the year to mid-June, the volume of Tajikistan's agricultural exports increased by 35.8%, or 22.4 thousand tons. This was reported by CentralAsia citing…

Australia: Good season might balance out COVID-19 pandemic

Although Australian growers might be experiencing both market troubles and logistical issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, producers say seasonal conditions are the best in…

Gerold Grotelueschen

Indian vegetable traders say prices have risen due to rainy season crop failures

The prices of food items in India, including vegetables, have started to skyrocket even as the COVID-19 crisis shows no sign of abating. The prices of vegetables, in particular, have increased quite significantly with retail prices of almost all kinds rising from 25 to 200 per cent. The most significant…

Philippine malls serve as new outlets for fresh produce

Philippine growers and cooperatives now have a new outlet where they can directly bring their products to sell to consumers. The Department of Agriculture, partnering with the…

"Green kiwifruit sells well in European market, but export volume in Chinese market is limited"

"The European market conditions for kiwifruit and apples are quite good this year. These fruits sell very well, because market demand exceeds market supply. The situation in China is quite the opposite, in particular for kiwifruit. The market price of domestic kiwifruit is rather low this season, which…

Lower rambutan volumes but steady demand on US market right now

Tropical and exotic fruits have become increasingly popular in the US market in recent years and products which were previously only destined for ethnic markets are now also sold in larger retail chains. One of these products is rambutan, which is currently being sourced from Guatemala and Mexico. Andrés…

Digital systems provide a meaningful way of looking at fruit

The fruit industry has become very complex with the amount of data available from packing and cooling facilities plus increasingly strict export regulations. “You have to be able to give simple answers to complex questions,” says Gerhard Nel, director at FarSoft Solutions. Packhouse data are crucial to…

New products and strategies to deal with the Covid emergency

It is a given fact that the Covid emergency has affected the sales of fresh-cut and ready-to-eat products. This is why companies like La Linea Verde, owner of the Dimmidisì brand, have had to put in place specific strategies. FreshPlaza talked about it with general director Andrea Battagliola (in the photo).…

Green onion flavoured cereal on sale in South Korea

Green onion flavoured cereal is now for sale in South Korea. Although the new Chex flavour is a limited edition release, it is proving to be very popular, selling out online within two days. But creating this strange cereal flavour has taken a lot of effort. In 2004, Kellogg's Korea launched a…

"Continuing to market fruit and veg safely in compliance with the new MRLs"

On 04.06.2020, the European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2020/749 amending Annex III of Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005. According to this regulation, new maximum residue levels for chlorate and perchlorate in foodstuffs will apply from 28.06.2020, without any transitional arrangements.…

Waste reduction and process optimisation by individually labelling fruit and veg

Nature's Pride, in collaboration with Bizerba Netherlands, has taken a huge step towards reducing waste. By installing an LDI PAC8, a label dispenser from Bizerba - with customer-specific adaptations - Nature's Pride has the absolute first for this solution across Europe. Waste reductionAs a supplier of 230…

Sealable, recyclable, repulpable specialty papers

Growers and packers of fresh produce know Mediane as a converter of flexible films for the packaging of herbs, lettuce and fresh produce. Mediane has been a market leader in the field of conical sleeves in Europe, USA and Australasia for many years already. Their product line also includes Peel & Reseal…

Penny has rolled out its Scan and Go app at 100 stores

Singapore retail sales fall 52.1% in record drop in May during COVID-19 circuit breakerSingapore’s total retail sales fell a record 52.1% on a year-on-year basis in May, while the country was still under a COVID-19 “circuit breaker”, according to data released by the Department of Statistics (SingStat).…

Uber has agreed to acquire Postmates

US: Brookshire Brothers optimizes its inventory managementBrookshire Brothers is implementing Itasca Retail’s Magic computer generated ordering and direct store delivery (DSD) receiving solution in order to advance its inventory management. The solution uses uses historical sales data and current shelf…

Basketball on wheels