High prices for number one quality limes in US market

Lime growers in Mexico are preparing their fields for the coming planting, and this has brought high volumes of number two quality limes onto the US market. Mario Cisneros of Santis Produce explains: “The growers are cutting down the limes that are currently on the plants to prepare, and this has brought…

California grape growers continue to expand available varieties

Supplies of grapes out of Southern California are steady and strong. “We’re getting into the meat of our season here with good volume,” says Jim Beagle of Grapery based in Shafter, CA. “The weather has made for a very good growing season and by and large, the quality is very nice out of California this…

ScoringAg

Maintaining the integrity of the sanitation

“You have to sanitize everything,” says William Kanitz with ScoringAg. “If you don’t protect your product, the consumer gets sick.” The company sells and produces sanitizing equipment for fresh produce and its packaging. Due to the Coronavirus, things have changed. It’s increasingly important to reduce…

Strategic partnerships add 4 million boxes of fruit to CMI’s manifest

Furthering its commitment to being a one-stop-shop for retailers looking for premium apples, pears and cherries grown in Washington State, CMI Orchards LLC reports continued expansion for the company. Strategic partnerships with Yakima Fruit, as well as with Pine Canyon Growers, in addition to…

Potatoes packed in 100% compostable paper bags

EarthFresh announced their new complete product line of organic and conventional potatoes packed in 100% compostable paper bags. Available in all pack sizes, including baby potatoes in 1 lb and 1.5 lb bags and A and B size potatoes in 3 lb, 5 lb and 10 lb compostable paper bags. EarthFresh’s compostable…

Produce demand softens a bit as economic pressure mounts

Consumer concern over COVID-19 remains high but stable, with 57% being extremely concerned, according to wave 16 of the IRI shopper sentiment survey series. Economic pressure, however, is mounting. Thirty percent of shoppers say they are financially worse off than they were last year and 25% indicated…

Hurricane Hanna causes huge losses for Texas citrus

Citrus growers in south Texas are faced with with huge losses in the aftermath of Hurricane Hanna.  Orchards in Edinburg are largely dried out now after flooding as a result of Hanna. They appear to be normal, but upon a closer look, much of the citrus is laying on the ground. According to Dale Murden, the…

Blueberry growers infuse billions of dollars into US economy, generating thousands of jobs

Growers of U.S. highbush blueberries generate more than $4.7 billion in annual economic impact, translating to more than $12.7 million flowing into the U.S. economy every day of the year. “The U.S. highbush blueberry industry – including 12,739 blueberry farms – is a powerful financial force,” said Kasey…

Strong demand for California avocados throughout spring and into summer

Much of the California avocado season falls in the period of summer holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day, making locally/domestically grown California avocados a great fit for summer promotions. California Avocado Commission customized programs are underway with retailers and foodservice…

Start of negotiations for the export of Spanish peppers from all regions to the US

As announced at the latest meeting of the Fruit and Vegetable Working Group, made up of heads of the administrations involved in the opening of new markets (Ministry of…

Chinese banana prices stable due to limited supply

Last week (August 2-8), the market in various banana production areas fluctuated. In general, prices fell first and then stabilized. Prices in areas such as Guangxi,…

In the last four years, Ecuadorian banana spot prices have been substantially higher than contract prices

Ecuador's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) agreed to leave open the possibility of lowering or raising the support price of the banana box, which was set at 6.40 dollars for the 43-pound box in 2020, to benefit the sector and according to the development of the foreign market, provided that…

Fresh onion prices in China steady with increases

Over the past days, the marketed volume of fresh onions from Gansu has gradually increased, and the price is staying at 0.35-0.55 yuan per half a kilo, which is 0.1-0.2 yuan higher than that of onions from Shandong, Henan, and Jiangsu when they became available. Despite the increased volume, prices are steady with slight increases.

There are a few reasons for this. First of all, market demand has increased. In the first half of the year, affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the volume exported was greatly reduced, the demand from the catering industry was weakened, and few onion processing factories were operating. Now, the outbreak in China is under control, the export volume has begun to increase, and the volume ordered by processing plants has increased, which has greatly driven the demand. As fresh onions from Gansu just became available, purchasers are beginning to purchase in large volumes, sales are going fast, and transactions are smooth. There are important factors for maintaining these prices.

In addition, onions in the storage have yet not been marketed in large volumes. Prices of the product from Shandong, Henan, and Jiangsu have remained low and due to lack of profit, most of the traders with stock in storage have been waiting for new developments in the market. Therefore, as most of the products available on the market are fresh onions from Gansu, prices have naturally maintained a steady pace with slight increases.

Moreover, vegetable prices as a whole have risen. Affected by seasonal factors, the recent heavy rainfall and floods in the south and the hot and dry weather in the north have lowered vegetable production. In addition, the high temperature has increased the storage cost of some vegetables, which has increased vegetable prices as a whole.

Source: Daily Headlines

Bhutan turns to tech to up potato exports

Potatoes are one of Bhutan’s main exports, with the small country exporting 24,970 tons of potatoes in 2018, mos of which went to India. The nation has a conventional auction…

An overview of global potato statistics

The most authoritative source for global potato statistics is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This organization maintains a database on many different crops, named FAOSTAT. It provides free access to food and agriculture data for over 245 countries and territories and…

Experts stress need for investment in potato farming Nigeria

The African Union (AU)’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (EU-ECOSOCC) has released a statement, underscoring the need for proper investment in the development of potato…

Durian export from Thailand to mainland China marks 73 percent of total export volume H1 2020

The export of Thai durians to the Chinese mainland has accounted for 73 percent of the total export volume during the first six months this year. This was confirmed by a…

Kaki purchases start earlier in the Spanish Region of Valencia

The Valencian Association of Agricultural Producers (AVA-ASAJA) estimates that the Region of Valencia's kaki production will be 30% lower than last season, with the volume marketed for fresh consumption falling below 300,000 tons. Given this significant reduction in the supply, as well as the excellent…

Colombia grows Hass avocado in less than 1% of its potential area

In 2019, Colombian Hass avocado exports increased by 48.3% over the previous year, reaching 50,000 tons. This increase is one of the factors that highlight the growth…

Australia opens its market to Chilean Hass avocado

Antonio Walker, the Chilean Minister of Agriculture, announced that the Australian phytosanitary authority had authorized the entry of fresh Hass avocados from Chile into…

Strong demand for California avocados throughout spring and into summer

Much of the California avocado season falls in the period of summer holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day, making locally/domestically grown California avocados a great fit for summer promotions. California Avocado Commission customized programs are underway with retailers and foodservice…

Purple papaya goes viral on Twitter

Who has ever eaten or even seen purple papaya? Well, netizen Sushanta Nanda has shared some pictures of this special papaya on Twitter, so take a look. She said: "Purple papaya is very difficult to find because it is a rare mixture of papayas and grapes that you can only find in southern Australia and Brazil." This post…

Philippines: Department of Agriculture aims to export more products to Canada

The Filipino Department of Agriculture (DA) aims to export more farm and fishery products to Canada, by at least doubling the value in the medium term. Agriculture Secretary…

Hydroponic tomato grower expands year-round offerings and organic varieties

The fresh produce market, like all grocery categories, is experiencing new challenges relating to the COVID virus. Alejandro Santander, Vice President of Sales and Operations with Globalmex International, and their Magic Sun-branded hothouse tomatoes, indicates that there are always challenges in the ag…

EU pest interceptions in citrus imports up until July almost equal all of the interceptions of 2019

According to La Unió of Llauradors, up until July, the European Union intercepted 151 shipments of citrus fruit infested with pests in EU ports, a figure that almost equals…

Agri export air freight squeeze and higher costs may last until 2024

The already troubled Australian agricultural air freight system is just a couple of months from becoming even more seriously congested; a host of perishable export crops start…

In-basket cleaning: Cutting produce loss to the maximum

After the Covid-19 crisis, consumers are paying more attention to food safety, making higher demands on fruit and vegetable processing enterprises. Cleaning is an important step in possessing fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Efficient and convenient cleaning equipment not only helps to improve a…

"Increasing efficiencies in iceberg lettuce packaging"

To meet demands of growers across the market to reduce labor, enable faster packaging speeds and lower maintenance costs when wrapping iceberg lettuce, the engineers at Redpack Packaging Machinery have been working closely with growers across the globe to come up with a solution that wraps iceberg in a…

ScoringAg

Maintaining the integrity of the sanitation

“You have to sanitize everything,” says William Kanitz with ScoringAg. “If you don’t protect your product, the consumer gets sick.” The company sells and produces sanitizing equipment for fresh produce and its packaging. Due to the Coronavirus, things have changed. It’s increasingly important to reduce…

“From a factory floor perspective, adapting to COVID-19 is all about creating space"

When it comes to buying criteria for inspection equipment, whilst commercial viability will always make or break decisions, the COVID-19 crisis is pushing space-optimized design and remote diagnostics to the fore. Footprint has long been a consideration when choosing packaging and processing equipment –…

"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…

AU: Good news for South East as irrigation prices expected to drop

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) is forecasting lower water prices in the southern Murray-Darling Basin in 2020–21. A wetter winter for a large part of inland Australia means the cost of water is expected to ease, after allocation prices last season…

First QTee® pear planting start in Australia

Growers across Australia have begun the first plantings of QTee® pear trees, a new aromatic red pear. Horticulture Brand Management Australia Pty Ltd (HBMA) has the Australian licence for the fruit which consumers should be tasting in the coming years. The QTee® originates from Norway, it is a…

Asia Fruit Logistica to take place fully virtual

Asia Fruit Logistica will not be held in physical form this year. Instead, the organization is moving to a new digital format in November 2020. It will be called Asia Fruit…

New Zealand on its way to record kiwi exports in 2020

In the first half of 2020, New Zealand exported eight percent more kiwis than in the first half of last year. That's a good recovery after 2019's dip. Apple exports were a little (2%) lower than in the 2019 record year. Just more than half of the fresh fruit and vegetable exports from New Zealand went to…

"This is the briefest durian season ever in Malaysia"

The Malaysian durian season has come to an end after two months of vigorous sales. Although the outbreak of Covid-19 did not have a significant impact on the Malaysian durian industry, this still is the briefest durian season in Malaysia. Manager He, a spokesperson for the Malaysian durian company…

Chinese red kiwifruit available

Kiwifruit from Guizhou is expected to flood on to the market in mid-August. “With a weaker national consumer market, this season we will use promotional activities to attract consumers on top of keeping the price at the same level as last year,” Duan, manager of Liupanshui Agriculture Investment Development Co., Ltd., talked…

Turkey expands avocado production and export markets

“Last year, we exported around 10 million avocados. This year, we expect to increase this to 15 million.” said Hilmi Sevilgen, the chairman of Alanya Avocado Producers’ Association. Chairman Sevilgen also announced the country’s production goals: “In 2020, we aim to produce 70 million avocados in…

Current harvest of Indian pomegranates started

After a difficult grape season in India, it is now time for the pomegranate season. The demand for pomegranates is expected to be higher as consumers are looking for fruits that enhance the immune system and have high nutritional values. One exporter hopes they’ll start shipments to the UK and other…

The online farm management system reducing the manual paperwork system

The mentality of working smarter - not harder - in the fresh produce industry, is growing, according to a major New Zealand technology solutions company. ABC Software has two primary solutions; ABCgrower and ABCpacker. Co-owner Sharon Chapman says business decision-makers are looking to invest into smart…

Frozen food sees growth despite the coronavirus

The increase in the consumption of frozen vegetables is going on even now, at the height of summer and despite the lockdown. So said Maurizio Zappatore, commercial director of Orogel, commenting on the data for the first 6 months of 2020 compared to 2019. "Organizing production, processing and marketing…

Dried fruit consumption on the up at the expense of shelled mixes

The health crisis redefined the habits of Italian consumers. It will be interesting to see how things will evolve in the fall, when people tend to buy more dried fruit. "Looking at market developments, in the future, people will focus more on products with a higher added value linked to both the nutritional…

Climate change to reduce Himachal apple production - geoengineering methods are not fail safe

Experts say that climate change could reduce apple production in India by affecting the winter chill period necessary for the plants. According to a study, they fear that even…

Hitchcock Farms acquires Pfyffer Associates

Salinas, CA, grower/shipper Hitchcock Farms has acquired Pfyffer Associates, a grower, packer and shipper of premium Brussels sprouts in Santa Cruz, CA. Pfyffer has been a leading supplier of Brussels sprouts for over 45 years with their well-known Ernie’s Pride and Pfyffer labels. Steve Bontadelli and…

Colombian researchers develop cherry tomatoes that have greater anti-cancer properties

Researchers from Colombia's National University's Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, led by Professor Mario Augusto Garcia, have managed to develop a selection of cherry tomato…

Start of negotiations for the export of Spanish peppers from all regions to the US

As announced at the latest meeting of the Fruit and Vegetable Working Group, made up of heads of the administrations involved in the opening of new markets (Ministry of…

CA: Farm Boy to start selling Cornwall greens

Cornwall company Fieldless Farms will soon have their products on Farm Boy shelves. Farm Boy itself - founded in the City of Cornwall, Ontario - has made a deal with the agricultural start-up, intent on putting fresh produce on their shelves year-round with less dependence on foreign imports. Fieldless…

California mushroom farms troubled by unpredictable markets

In the last few years, high demand for mushrooms placed this crop in the company of other top-performing staples such as tomatoes, carrots and onions. However, COVID-19…

Israel plans to expand agricultural cooperation with India

In a recent interview, Deputy Chief of Israeli Mission to India, Rony Yedidia-Clein, stated: “Israel is planning to boost agricultural cooperation with India by establishing…

Avocados From Mexico included in Best Workplaces for Innovators list

Avocados From Mexico has been named to Fast Company's second annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list, which honors businesses and organizations worldwide that demonstrate a…

United Fresh to host retail-foodservice partner X-Change on United Fresh LIVE! 365

United Fresh is bringing back its retail-foodservice speed dating sessions as part of the offerings of United Fresh LIVE! 365, and timed with the 2020 Washington Conference, September 21-23. Vendors who participate will be guaranteed ten, 15-minute meetings with retail and foodservice companies looking…

Good Foods named Food Processing's 2020 "R&D Team of the Year"

Good Foods has been named Food Processing’s 2020 “R&D Team of the Year” in the medium-size category.  Katie Schmits, director of innovation for R&D at Good Foods, and her team of six have various backgrounds that range from culinary expertise to biology and food science. In the past few years, the team has…

Industry veterans reimagine the procurement experience

Fresh produce industry veterans Doug Fisher and Joe Cimino — each with over 30 years of growing, buying and distribution experience — have teamed up to form Re Fresh, a new produce procurement company. Re Fresh combines break-through predictive analytics with the more personal old-school way of doing…

Strategic partnerships add 4 million boxes of fruit to CMI’s manifest

Furthering its commitment to being a one-stop-shop for retailers looking for premium apples, pears and cherries grown in Washington State, CMI Orchards LLC reports continued expansion for the company. Strategic partnerships with Yakima Fruit, as well as with Pine Canyon Growers, in addition to…

AgroFresh Solutions reports results for second Quarter and First Half of 2020

AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020.  "I’m pleased with our team’s resolve during the first half of 2020. We provided…

McCain Foods completed construction of $37 million plant upgrade

Completing construction and commissioning a $37 million plant upgrade, managing staff to continue operations in the middle of Tasmania’s COVID-19 hotspot, and navigating ever-changing shift profiles - it’s been a challenging six months for McCain Foods’Smithton plant. As one of the region’s largest…

HHLA significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic

The dramatic global decline in the level of economic activity and the resulting economic downturn in the first half of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic have had a…

“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…

"Our guiding principle is to support start-ups, active in the field of vegan nutrition"

Now that there is so much attention for healthy, vegan nutrition, many start-ups and young entrepreneurs are trying to enter this field. Often, these initiatives will fail due…

Still little movement in tomatoes, price situation for other fruits & vegetables predominantly more positive

It is the middle of summer, so it is very hot in the greenhouse. But does all the hard labour yield something for the grower? In most cases it does with the (slightly) rising prices since the beginning of August, with the exception of tomatoes and courgettes. It remains difficult there, notes Benny…

Produce demand softens a bit as economic pressure mounts

Consumer concern over COVID-19 remains high but stable, with 57% being extremely concerned, according to wave 16 of the IRI shopper sentiment survey series. Economic pressure, however, is mounting. Thirty percent of shoppers say they are financially worse off than they were last year and 25% indicated…

Fruit and vegetables exports from Pakistan up despite COVID-19

In a press release issued on Tuesday, All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association's Mian Waheed Ahmed stated that the export volume saw a 12+ percent increase. He…

Belarus' agricultural exports to Uzbekistan up in first half of 2020

According to Belarusian diplomat Leonid Marinich, the export of Belarus-made agricultural products and foodstuffs to Uzbekistan in H1 2020 amounted to $32.3 million, up 3.3…

US food security in peril due to decline in plant breeding programs

A team of scientists led by Washington State University horticulture professor Kate Evans -who leads WSU's pome fruit breeding program- has found that public plant breeding…

South Africa: Crookes Brothers’ deciduous division reports operating loss

Crookes Brothers is a southern African company with agricultural operations in South Africa, as well as in Eswatini (Swaziland), Zambia and Mozambique. The company, which has…

Colombia: Cocaine seized in banana shipment bound for Antwerp

Anti-drug officials in Santa Maria, Colombia, have seized 1,100 kilograms of cocaine bound for Antwerp on Sunday. According to UN Container Control Program coordinator Bob Van den Berghe, the drugs were packed in cases of bananas. In 2020, port control units with the support of the UN program have…

McCormack has first commercial crop of Irish basil

Consumers look more and more for locally produced produce and retailers are keen to promote it on the shelves. Irish baby leaf and herb grower McCormack changed from growing vegetables to growing produce which would normally have been imported back in 2000, buoyed by the fact that Ireland was going…

Uruguay's Citricola Salteña registered a strong increase in income in the first half of the harvest

The harvest carried out by Citricola Salteña has shown very positive numbers so far, as there have been significant increases in exports and improvements in prices and volume placement in markets such as the United States, Europe, and Brazil. In the quarter of April-June of this year, for example,…

High prices for number one quality limes in US market

Lime growers in Mexico are preparing their fields for the coming planting, and this has brought high volumes of number two quality limes onto the US market. Mario Cisneros of Santis Produce explains: “The growers are cutting down the limes that are currently on the plants to prepare, and this has brought…

Hurricane Hanna causes huge losses for Texas citrus

Citrus growers in south Texas are faced with with huge losses in the aftermath of Hurricane Hanna.  Orchards in Edinburg are largely dried out now after flooding as a result of Hanna. They appear to be normal, but upon a closer look, much of the citrus is laying on the ground. According to Dale Murden, the…

South African easy peelers in short supply for recovering African trade

Easy peelers like Tangos and Nadorcotts are sought after in West Africa, but it’s been difficult to get hold of the sizes – 1X to 3X – in the 10kg carton preferred by their clients, as it’s the same size required for UK bagging programmes. “You can feel there’s a shortage in soft citrus and we’re…

Virtual event with Costco’s Frank Padilla and Category Partners' Steve Lutz

The Organic Produce Network has announced a virtual online event featuring Frank Padilla, Costco’s vice president & gmm, produce and meat, and Steve Lutz, Category Partners’ senior vice president of insights & innovation, discussing sales and consumer purchasing behavior of organic fresh produce through…

UK: COVID-19 outbreak on Herefordshire farm 'successfully contained'

According to UK health officials, a COVID-19 outbreak among farm workers in Herefordshire has been successfully contained with no more cases, or spread to the wider community.…

New technology to increase production and profit for table grape industry and beyond

California startup Vinergy, Inc. is powering change in industry, beginning with new technology applications that could improve the profitability of table grape farms nearly 40 percent. The Vinergy Cart and Vinergy Wheelbarrow from Bakersfield, California startup Vinergy, Inc. are rechargeable electric…

Fresh-key shows the way for innovation in the cold supply chain industry

The "10th Global Cold Supply Chain Summit" took place in Shanghai on the 6th of August, 2020. The summit was attended by JD Distribution, Carrier, Haier, and Thermo King, as…

Progressive Produce voluntarily recalls red and yellow onions because of possible health risk

Progressive Produce LLC is voluntarily recalling a very limited quantity of red and yellow onions as a result of a recall initiated by Thomson International, Inc., which…

Potatoes packed in 100% compostable paper bags

EarthFresh announced their new complete product line of organic and conventional potatoes packed in 100% compostable paper bags. Available in all pack sizes, including baby potatoes in 1 lb and 1.5 lb bags and A and B size potatoes in 3 lb, 5 lb and 10 lb compostable paper bags. EarthFresh’s compostable…

China authorizes new Chilean packing facilities for citrus exports

The Chinese health authorities have authorized the packers of the provinces of Elqui and Limari, in the Coquimbo region, to export citrus to China. "We have been working for…

"100% recyclability contributes to strong sales promotion"

The environmentally friendly and plastic-reducing packaging concept cartoPaper® of flexographic printing company cartomat has been optimized once again. At this point in time, the particularly stable, breathable paper is available in different grammages, says the management of German developer cartomat LLC,…

New fibre punnets to help address sustainable packaging issues in Australia

Consumer demand for sustainable fresh produce packaging and healthy eating choices were the driving forces behind Visy's new fibre punnets. National Account Manager, Jamie O'Dell says the Enviropunnet™ is a sustainable, recyclable and market appealing option for packing fresh produce, and offers a…

Bio-wrap: suitable for everything from cucumbers to magazines

A compostable shrink-wrap developed in South Australia for cucumbers has been adapted to magazine film. Its Adelaide manufacturer, BioBag World Australia, created the film…

Carrefour has invested to deliver fresh produce to its shopping app

Jerónimo Martins will “challenge in court” a fine of 26mln euros in PolandJerónimo Martins, owner of Pingo Doce, will “judicially challenge” the fine of 26mln euros, which was applied to the supermarket chain it owns in Poland, Biedronka, the group's official source told Lusa. "Jerónimo Martins Polska…

Walmart is partnering with Instacart

US: Whole Foods launches free virtual home economics classesAs part of its new brand design rollout for its 365 by Whole Foods Market private label, Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods is launching Home Ec 365, a digital curriculum that updates the fundamentals of home economics while putting a modern twist…

Cool!