How much did it cost to produce a hectare of aubergines in a greenhouse in Almeria this campaign?

According to an analysis carried out by Hortoinfo, based on the data of the Observatory of Prices and Markets of the Junta de Andalucía, the cost of growing one hectare of…

Science creates chicory plants without bitter compounds

Dutch researchers have used new breeding techniques to develop a chicory variety that no longer contains bitter compounds. Plant researcher at Katarina Cankar from Wageningen…

“For the asparagus, we have the tools to adapt to climate change”

The French asparagus season has now come to an end. Christian Befve, internationally renowned asparagus expert, founder and manager of the consulting company Befve &Co, takes a look back at the highlights of the season and the solutions to be implemented for better productivity. “Overall, this year was…

Honduran banana exports will suffer a 50% drop this year

The president of the Association of Banana Producers in the Sula Valley, Hector Castro, predicted that Honduran banana exports would suffer a 50% drop this year compared to…

Top nations that import bananas from India

The majority of bananas being exported by sea each day come from India. Indian bananas are exported to countries such as the Maldives and Republic of Korea, but their share is…

Texas onion industry wraps up first-ever marketing campaign

The 2020 – 2021 Texas 1015 Sweet Onion (TX1015) marketing campaign has wrapped up for the season. This new marketing program of the Texas International Produce Association…

'Growing conditions across Canada have reversed regionally from a year ago'

Growing conditions across Canada seem to have reversed regionally from a year ago. This year the four main growing provinces in eastern and central Canada have received good…

Harvesting, sorting and packing of physalis

The Ministry of Ecuador shared the video below to show how physalis is harvested, sorted and packed. The botanical name Physalis means bladder, and was given because of the shape of the expanded calyx of the lantern plant.

“New Zealand avocados always see a good demand in the premium Asian markets"

The New Zealand kiwifruit harvest is over and New Zealand grower and post-harvest company Seeka are now managing the kiwifruit in storage awaiting shipment of the premium quality fruit by marketer Zespri. Seeka successfully completed the acquisition of OPAC during harvest bringing the total combined…

US still has great potential for exotic fruit from Vietnam

Vietnam has been officially licensed to export six types of fresh fruit to the US market, including mangoes, longan, litchi, dragon fruit, rambutan and star apples. Other…

Covid prompts shift from ethnic/traditional markets to mainstream supermarket for Medjoul dates

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tal Dagul, who exports Medjoul Dates from Israel under the "Star Dates" Brand, has seen a shift in sales for this product, “Not necessarily by sales volume, but rather to where they are sold and to whom - We have seen a larger demand in Europe for Medjoul…

Delayed start for carambola out of Florida

Carambola production out of Homestead, FL is a few weeks away from getting fully underway. “We’re out harvesting already and have some fruit but it’s just a small amount,” says Frank Martinez of Homestead, FL-based A.R. Produce. Carambola production out of this region goes until January. As for volume,…

Gains to be made on market for kiwiberries

The kiwiberry campaign at Minikiwi Farm in Portugal is set to kick off in two weeks, with grower Ricardo Machado stating he expects one of the best season yet this year, due to the high quality of the fruits. “It all started with my father, Jose Machado. In 2014 we moved forward with the first plantation…

Mangos harboring Fruit Fly larvae intercepted

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists are routinely encountering individuals attempting to import mangos from Mexico. The fruit is a prohibited product,…

Label Investments acquires Tropical Organic Growers

Label Investments, an investment vehicle specialized in technology and the agrifood sector, created in 2018 by former Planasa president Alexandre Pierron Darbonne together…

"Besides a greenhouse, good growers and good protocols are also needed for food-safe production"

"Mapping and standardizing business protocols are becoming an increasingly important issue, both in terms of food safety and operational security. At the same time, a…

Freightos – fbx.freightos.com

Shipping container rates to remain high into 2022

Shipping container rates have spiked by as much as three or four times since the onset of the pandemic. According to industry experts, as the global demand for goods continues to outpace available capacity, they are likely to remain elevated beyond the Lunar New Year in 2022. Even when the demand starts…

Port of Rotterdam rebounds after Corona dip

In the first six months of 2021, throughput in the port of Rotterdam was 231.6 million tonnes, a rise of 5.8% compared with the same period last year. Despite this increase,…

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Reefer exports prioritised after cyber attack on South Africa's container terminals

To top an already taxing month, the operating system running all of South Africa’s container terminals were cyber-attacked early yesterday morning, again suspending operations with the exception of limited manual loading of reefers. Today state-owned Transnet issued a statement that it has identified and…

"We have a huge pipeline of new developments in mechanical innovations, electronics and software development"

Earlier this year GP Graders trialled the new MultiView camera at a snack tomato grower in Central Queensland and according to Stuart Payne Director at GP Graders the results have been excellent.  "We can now “see” the ends of elongated snack tomatoes such as mini Roma and grape tomatoes that weren’t otherwise…

Increased packaging demand can also be seen in sales figures of secondhand machines

By now, the fact that the demand for packaging has increased due to the corona crisis is no longer a secret. In fact, it has become common knowledge. As a result, the people at Duijndam Machines, international buyer and seller of second-hand machines, notice an increase in the demand for packaging…

Chinese imports of American produce increased by 120.8% so far this year

During the first six months of 2021, China and the United States saw a total of 2.21 trillion yuan worth of bilateral trade, a year-on-year increase of 34.6%. China exported…

Mexico: Agrifood exports between January and May highest in 29 years

According to Agriculture Ministry data, the value of Mexico’s agrifood exports in the first five months of the year was the highest in 29 years. Agrifood products destined for…

Future food demand will increase 35-56% between 2010 and 2050

At this point in time, more than 820 million people in the world don’t have enough to eat. This will be exacerbated by climate change and increasing competition for land and…

"We're on the lookout for varieties that work well with automation"

While SUNSET® looks for varieties that produce more yield without sacrificing flavor, the company is also looking for varieties that will work well with automation. Paul Mastronardi, CEO of Mastronardi Produce Limited, revealed so during a recent webinar by Bayer, focusing on the future of farming. "The…

Establishment of a grocer code of conduct in Canada

Following last week’s Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) meeting of Canada’s Ministers of Agriculture, the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) expresses its support for the…

“Costumers did not blame ozone engineering companies for their design, but the actual ozone gas”

The application of ozone gas to treat water has received a bit of a negative reputation due to flawed engineering design. According to a water engineering company, the ozone gas itself was actually not at fault, but the costumers didn’t trust the ozone gas as much. However, applying ozone gas in the…

Imida showcased more than 60 traditional varieties of melon preserved in its Germplasm Bank

The Murcian Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Development (Imida) has held an exhibition of traditional melon varieties at its facilities in La Alberca, all of…

"The overwhelming popularity of a new apple variety has caused some challenges"

The 'PremA280' apple is a new apple variety bred by The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited and owned by Prevar Limited of New Zealand. This variety has great commercial potential in China as initial consumer feedback in various regions has been extremely positive. Market demand…

Update on California organic pear and apple harvests

California organic pear harvest started with the Bartlett variety last week. “It may have started one or two days earlier compared to average, but is basically right on time,” says Chris Ford with Viva Tierra Organic. Crop volume is expected to be up considerably from last year due to excellent growing…

Lower volume of Lemonade apples this season

Supplies of Lemonade apples are down out of New Zealand this season. “We’re in the really early stages of the variety primarily out of New Zealand and unfortunately there’s less volume this year,” says Jason Bushong of Los Angeles, Ca.-based Giumarra of the variety that’s a Royal Gala apple cross pollinated…

Enduring the ongoing effects of the pandemic is taking its toll on Australian farmers

A Victorian table grape grower admits the COVID-19 pandemic, which has continued for more than 16 months now, is pushing Australian farmers to the limit. State restrictions have intensified across most of Australia in the past two months, with either lockdowns or domestic border restrictions coming back…

New Massachusetts loading location for organic and conventional cranberries

Bridges Produce has built its business on long-term partnerships and its relationship with Fruit d’Or is no exception. The Bridges team has worked with Fruit d’Or for more than 24 years and has acted as its exclusive organic fresh cranberry sales representative in the United States for the last seven…

Santa Maria fall strawberries around the corner

Supplies of California strawberries right now are ample. California Giant will begin picking the Santa Maria fall crop in another two to three weeks.  “We’re just coming off of the peak of the Watsonville-Salinas crop and we’re at the tail end of the Santa Maria spring crop so supplies are good,” says Alan…

USA fresh blueberries arrive in China

Consumers in China can finally enjoy fresh blueberries from the United States. The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) teamed up with Pagoda, a fruit retailer in China, to hold a ceremony celebrating the arrival of fresh U.S. blueberries to mainland China, the first-ever promotion of USA fresh…

“Watermelon consumption stagnated after years of growth”

The watermelons have had a relatively positive year. Overall, the previous season's demand was solid, although the average lower temperatures in northern Europe this year until now did lead to lower demand and lower prices. Hazera, being specialized in seedless mini watermelon varieties, states the most…

“Turkish cherries were expensive this year”

The Turkish cherry season is just about over. Importing them to Poland came with quite a few challenges, as production was lower this year, causing prices to increase. One importer states they had to increase their effort at times to find the right products to ship into Poland. Yuksel Zengin, Managing…

Fall Creek South Africa triples during its first year

The Fall Creek nursery in the Western Cape, South Africa, has tripled its capacity over the past year, despite all the disruptions caused by Covid-19. In line with their planning, the transplant and propagation facilities have been completed and an additional nursery area will accommodate the increasing…

“We are now having issues with the weather being too warm”

After a difficult start to the year things are busy at McCormack Family Farms who have been growing baby leaf salads and herbs in Ireland for over 20 years. The weather made planting challenging at the start of the year and heavy localised hail saw the loss of 10 ha of baby leaf and spinach for Stephen…

FreshPlaza is taking a summer break

The FreshPlaza team are taking a summer break. We will be back on Monday August 9th to bring you all latest news in the fresh produce world.

Egypt consolidates itself as the world's leading exporter of Valencia orange

Egypt has become the world's largest exporter of oranges, taking the position away from Spain. Even though 95% of Egypt's surface is desert, the country has nearly 168,000…

HLB control has been expensive for US growers

The efforts of Californian growers to keep huanglongbing (HLB) at bay have been largely successful. So far, the state’s citrus industry has avoided the devastating loss of…

Organic berries displace packaged salads in top slot for organic dollars

Total organic fresh produce sales for the second quarter of 2021 saw a continuation of year-over-year growth, increasing by four percent from the same period last year and nearing $2.3 billion for the quarter, according to the Q2 2021 Organic Produce Performance Report released by Organic Produce Network…

Texas Department of Agriculture makes vegetables rock

The Texas Department of Agriculture’s Marketing and International Trade Division and Jump with Jill present their latest collaboration in produce promotion – the Superpower Vegetables Danceable Music Video. Using funds from the Specialty Crop Block Program as part of a consumer education grant project,…

Spectre sets fruit sizing eyes on cherries

Interest in the New Zealand-made, computer vision AI, early fruit sizing tool, Spectre, continues to grow globally. In response to demand, agritech company Hectre, creators of Spectre, are now extending their fruit type coverage to cherries. “We’ve received requests for Spectre for Cherries from both US…

Hackaday.com

Using neural networks to detect ripeness in fruit and vegetables

As the industry wants to automate as much of the food production process as possible, it becomes necessary to have machines sort the ripe and ready produce from the rest at times. Turkish innovator Kutluhan Aktar claims he has found a way to do just that, using the power of neural networks. His project’s…

Mangoes used for fruit leather

How do you give surplus mangoes a second chance? In the Netherlands, Total Exotics is using these for fruit leather. They're turning mangoes into wallets, purses, and shoes. This clip shows the process.

@dugdrinks/Instagram

Vegan dairy brand creates the world’s first potato-based plant milk

Vegan dairy brand DUG, created by Veg of Lund, has launched what it describes as the world’s first-ever plant-based milk made from potatoes. The Swedish-based food innovator developed its latest milk alternative together with professor Eva Tornberg at Lund University. The creamy and vegan-friendly…

Cantaloupe juice might be the next big thing

Principal investigator anddoctoral candidate Linda Araghi is studying ways to find new product uses for Georgia-grown cantaloupe, together with Taija Stoner-Harris, a master's…

Lamb Weston Holdings announces $415 million capital investment

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. announced an expansion of french fry processing capacity at its facility in American Falls, Idaho, and the declaration of its quarterly dividend.…

Taiwan focuses on strengthening cold chain for agriculture products

The Taiwan Council of Agriculture has announced the new plan of constructing the cold chain for agricultural products. The plan will be focusing on basic infrastructure and…

“As we demystify the growing process, we can show consumers why indoor farming makes sense”

“The Food and Drug Administration has released new thinking on traceability requirements in food and I think it’s a scenario where indoor farms can be an example. With indoor farms, we can track everything that has ever touched a plant,” says Marni Karlin, executive director of the CEA Food Safety…

USDA

USDA: 2021 California almond forecast down 10 percent

California's 2021 almond production is forecast at 2.80 billion meat pounds, down 13% from May's subjective forecast and 10% lower than last year's record crop of 3.12 billion meat pounds. The  forecast is based on 1.33 million bearing acres. Production for the Nonpareil variety is forecast at 1.10 billion…

Packaging company expands services and supply in California

Giro Pack, Inc., a part of Giro GH, recently opened a warehouse in Fresno, CA to expand services and supply for existing and future partners in the region. The site includes warehousing space for consumable products, machines and spare parts, as well as some office and meeting spaces. “We’re excited to…

As Aldi Model expands in grocery retail, corrugated produce box demand gets boost

Demand for corrugated boxes used to package fresh produce is projected to increase 3.3% per year to $2.4 billion in 2024, according to a new Freedonia Group analysis.…

True extent of flood damage in parts of the Netherlands becoming ever-clearer

The waters are now subsiding in parts of the Netherlands. And as the days pass, the excessive rainfall and high water levels' impact is becoming ever-clearer. Eric Huids chairs the Dutch Fruit Growers Association (NFO) Limburg branch. He's noted damage to sweet and sour cherry, redcurrant, and ripe plum…