OVERVIEW GLOBAL GARLIC MARKET

In the past few months, more garlic has been harvested in the northern hemisphere than in the previous season, so there are rising concerns for the future. Prices are under pressure and, according to growers in different countries, they have actually dropped to unbearable levels. There is a similar situation everywhere in the…

Passionfruit - a challenging prospect for Florida growers

December is one of the months when Florida-grown passionfruit are available in the US. Although the fruit does grow year round, commercial production rotates between Florida and California throughout the year.  "We have passionfruit available at the moment," shared Bob Petrucci of Fresh Gardens in Homestead Florida. "It is…

Fresh take on sauerkraut

While the condiment category has long offered jars of pickled sauerkraut a home, at least one manufacturer is counting on a newer approach to the product. Launching in 2014 (though 2015 into retail), Cleveland Kraut…

California grower adds Sandra Sanchez to Team

Dulcinea Farms™, part of Pacific Trellis Fruit, has brought on Sandra Sanchez as Director of Quality Assurance. “She will act as a bridge between the sales team and our physical inventory. Sandra’s…

New York Produce Show attracts good crowd

Wednesday December 12, the 9th annual New York Produce Show was held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Once more, the show drew a lot of attendees to the City. Who doesn’t want to spend a few days in the Big Apple this time of year? On the flipside, the retail market for Christmas hit this…

French fresh produce storage company opens US headquarters

JMT US is the United States subsidiary of French-based company Janny MT. It recently announced its new U.S. operations for the company are to be based in Lansing, Michigan. “JMT works directly with growers to increase crop value by extending storage time,” said Benoit Janny, Janny MT general manager. “We…

US importer announces fifth year of expanded Spanish fruit imports

LGS Specialty Sales (LGS), importer and distributor of citrus, grapes, and avocados, has announced the expansion of its Spanish imports to include lemons, clementines, and…

Dole Food Company sells Fresh Cut businesses in Sweden and Finland

Yesterday, Dole Food Company, Inc., announced that there is an agreement to sell Saba Fresh Cuts AB and Saba Fresh Cuts OY to BAMA International. Saba Fresh Cuts AB -with production facilities in…

Nominees for the FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award 2019

The top award for the fresh produce industry will be presented on 8 February 2019 in Berlin. More than 77,000 trade visitors from over 130 countries will have a chance on 6 & 7 February 2019 to vote for the innovation of the year. Here are the nominees at a glance. The nominees for the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award…

"We extract our pomegranate arils manually 365 days a year"

Pomegranates are relatively popular in India, but maybe even more so their arils. Due to them being perishable by nature, they are heavily influenced by the climate and the type of packaging. Fortunately for exporting company Santosh Exports they also take care of the packaging of their pomegranate…

New York Produce Show attracts good crowd

Wednesday December 12, the 9th annual New York Produce Show was held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Once more, the show drew a lot of attendees to the City. Who doesn’t want to spend a few days in the Big Apple this time of year? On the flipside, the retail market for Christmas hit this…

Fresh take on sauerkraut

While the condiment category has long offered jars of pickled sauerkraut a home, at least one manufacturer is counting on a newer approach to the product. Launching in 2014 (though 2015 into retail), Cleveland Kraut…

Passionfruit - a challenging prospect for Florida growers

December is one of the months when Florida-grown passionfruit are available in the US. Although the fruit does grow year round, commercial production rotates between Florida and California throughout the year.  "We have passionfruit available at the moment," shared Bob Petrucci of Fresh Gardens in Homestead Florida. "It is…

Nuchi Sansekan Health Clinic opens fueled by Fair Trade premium funds

Long before the world caught on, Covilli Brand Organics said it was growing food free of pesticides, chemicals, additives and genetic modification. They said they did it because it was the right thing to do. Fair-trade is also the right thing to do, according to the company. In its most simple definition…

California grower adds Sandra Sanchez to Team

Dulcinea Farms™, part of Pacific Trellis Fruit, has brought on Sandra Sanchez as Director of Quality Assurance. “She will act as a bridge between the sales team and our physical inventory. Sandra’s…

US importer announces fifth year of expanded Spanish fruit imports

LGS Specialty Sales (LGS), importer and distributor of citrus, grapes, and avocados, has announced the expansion of its Spanish imports to include lemons, clementines, and…

Dole Food Company sells Fresh Cut businesses in Sweden and Finland

Yesterday, Dole Food Company, Inc., announced that there is an agreement to sell Saba Fresh Cuts AB and Saba Fresh Cuts OY to BAMA International. Saba Fresh Cuts AB -with production facilities in…

Robots that will change the industry

There is not yet a real end in sight for the growth of the world population. With the current increases, there will be an enormous growth in agricultural needs and demands. To cover up these needs fast, farmers are turning their attention toward robots. From planting to growing to collecting, all…

New UF/IFAS citrus trial data available soon

New research data are available from trials for citrus rootstocks, scions and combinations of the two that University of Florida scientists hope will broaden the options of…

French fresh produce storage company opens US headquarters

JMT US is the United States subsidiary of French-based company Janny MT. It recently announced its new U.S. operations for the company are to be based in Lansing, Michigan. “JMT works directly with growers to increase crop value by extending storage time,” said Benoit Janny, Janny MT general manager. “We…

New Jersey blueberry farm goes solar

A newly completed solar energy system will provide nearly 100% of the annual needs of Atlantic Blueberry, a family-owned blueberry farm in Hammonton, New Jersey. According to SolarKal, a…

New findings and recommendations related to romaine lettuce E. coli O157:H7 outbreak

On Nov. 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned the American public of a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7…

Heart-Healthy certification expanded for all USA pear varieties

Following a successful introduction of the Red Anjou, Bosc and Bartlett pears over the last few years, Pear Bureau Northwest is announcing the expansion of American Heart…

US Produce growers seek solutions to labor shortage

Colorado produce growers, farm labor regulators and service providers came together in early December to seek solutions to the acute farm worker shortage throughout the state.…

Chile: Fedefruta explains impact of hailstorms to the Senate

Fedefruta went to the Senate's Agriculture Committee to inform it about the damage fruit producers affected by the hailstorm in November had, and request financial and technical assistance to medium-sized producers, as they are the most vulnerable to these problems. The goal was to promote actions to…

Peru: "We only offer organic limes"

"The lime season started well for us, as there were no weather problems caused by rain. This has allowed us to have a good performance in the harvest and post-harvest, reducing the mechanical and transport issues we have when taking the product to the packing plant. We work with fixed prices all season,…

Paraguay: A new variety of cabbage offers advantages to producers

A new cabbage variety known as the green giant, which is gaining ground in the departments of Caaguazu and Central because of its high adaptability to Paraguay's tropical…

Taiwan's tech supports Nicaraguan production of fruit and vegetables

The project to strengthen Nicaragua's fruit and vegetable production was inaugurated on December 12 in Managua, thanks to the undisputed support provided by Taiwan. The project will last one year and nine months, from October 1st, 2018 to June 2020. The Ambassador of Taiwan, Jaime Chin Mu Wu, encouraged producers to continue improving their…

Chile, Mexico and Peru will create the Agricultural Council of the Pacific Alliance

Senior officials in charge of Agriculture in Chile, Mexico and Peru agreed in Santiago to create the Agricultural Council of the Pacific Alliance (CAAP), a forum that will facilitate the signing of integration agreements and increase regional coordination in order to boost rural development. The…

Chile: Blueberry export peak season begins

As the Chilean blueberry industry gets ready for the start of its 2018-2019 campaign peak season, the sector had made a positive analysis of the start of the season, which had its challenges but was reasonably good. "We have exported about 9% more volume than by the same date last season, and this week we are…

Moving towards an all year round offer of avocados

Camposol seeks to expand its geographical presence to ensure the supply of avocados also in the Peruvian counter season. Alibaba names Camposol its strategic partner for avocados and blueberries. Camposol closed the 2018 season of Hass avocados with an exported volume of more than 44,000 tons. Also this year, as in the 2017…

China: Price "explosion" for cherries

Oranges, strawberries, and cherries begin to dominate the fruit stalls as we enter winter. The price of most imported fruits is quite high as they have only just entered the…

China: Demand for organic sweet potato exceeds supply

"The sweet potato production season in Kangping County, Liaoning, officially began in early September, as it did in previous years. It continued until October. The overall production volume of certified organic sweet potatoes in China is limited. Our organic sweet potato sales volume is relatively stable…

India: TechnicoAgri Sciences signs deal with Hutton Institute

Technico Agri Sciences, an agri-biotech company owned by Indian conglomerate  ITC, is teaming up with the Scotland-based James Hutton Institute to bring in 16 varieties and 600 clones of potatoes to India. The differentiated varieties, expected to improve yields by 15 to 20 per cent, will undergo trials and…

"Imported mangoes from Vietnam and Cambodia sell well in China"

"The imported mangoes we currently sell come from Vietnam and Cambodia, while our domestic mangoes come from production areas in Hainan. We are actually able to provide year-round supply of various kinds of mango. The production season in Vietnam and Cambodia begins every year in November and continues…

China: Temperature fall causes drop in apple production

Cold weather and snow have affected all parts of the country. Apples in some areas have been hit by natural disasters such as cold currents, frosts and hail, resulting in a…

China: Special agricultural products compete at the "Winter Fair" in Hainan

From December 12 to 16, the 2018 China (Hainan) International Tropical Agricultural Products Winter Fair is taking place at the Hainan International Convention and Exhibition Center. Special agricultural products from all over the world were unveiled at the "Winter Fair" for the citizens who came to visit. 40 agricultural enterprises and…

China: "Double 12" sees more than 2 million businesses participate in offline sales

If "Double 11" [November 11th] is the holiday of new retail, then "Double 12" [December 12th) is the holiday of urban activities. Offline sales go viral throughout China on…

China: Wuxi strawberries enter the market

This year's harvest of strawberries from Wuxi have finally hit the market. Many seedlings did not make it this year, because the temperature was relatively high when they were…

China Easter Airlines in firm first position as global fresh produce carrier

Just as the northern hemisphere enters winter, the delicious fruits of the southern hemisphere, such as cherries, enter their harvest season. China Easter Airlines delivers a…

Challenges faced by Philippines banana industry in 2018

The banana industry is one of the main economic drivers for the Davao Region. The area has vast and rich lands suitable for growing export-quality bananas. The province of…

Chinese woman uses fruit as a crash helmet

On December 8, a woman in the Chinese city of Sanya was filmed wearing a fruit shell as a helmet in an attempt to get around the city's new law introduced this month, that…

"Providing more efficient machines at a more reasonable price"

The orange export season in Egypt has just started for the 2018-2019 season. To ensure the sorting and packaging of the oranges proceeds smoothly, a good sorting line could be a big help. It automates the process and in this way it decreases losses and speeds up the production process. Reemoon Technology…

"We extract our pomegranate arils manually 365 days a year"

Pomegranates are relatively popular in India, but maybe even more so their arils. Due to them being perishable by nature, they are heavily influenced by the climate and the type of packaging. Fortunately for exporting company Santosh Exports they also take care of the packaging of their pomegranate…

Rain during first week of Olifants River harvest causes grape splitting

Rain over the Boland last Friday was welcomed by table grape growers in the Hex River, Berg River and Piketberg regions where harvesting hasn’t yet started, but in the Olifants River where the harvest kicked off late last week, it was a mixed blessing. Rain in the area this time of the year is not usual and the…

South African pears up for export to China

After recent bilateral trade negotiations between the two countries, China is intent on sending citrus exports to South Africa. South Africa’s fruit export sector itself is on…

Squash fruits in South Africa: First report of soft rot

During the 2017/18 South African growing season, a new disease affecting squash was observed in several commercial plantations in the Northern Cape Province. Soft,…

Investigation into ‘illegal’ garlic imports into South Africa

An oversupply of garlic on local markets is currently dragging down producer prices. As a result, both the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and independent agency, Agri…

Egypt: Orange exports continuing to expand

During MY2018/19, a 5.1 percent increase in area planted and 9.6 percent increase in production was forecast, based on growing demand for Egyptian oranges. Egyptian orange prices in the international markets are more competitive than prices offered by other international suppliers due to a devalued Egyptian pound. Though…

Shoprite opens first of its own distribution centres in Nigeria

The Shoprite Group recently opened a new world-class distribution centre (DC) in Lagos, Nigeria. The 4 700m² facility is the first property owned entirely by the retail giant in Nigeria. Most of the space - some 2 560m² - will be occupied by Freshmark, Shoprite’s fruit and vegetable procurement, buying…

More accurate classifications with object recognition

Two years ago, Optiserve introduced their optical sorter Xcalibur. The sorter is now being sent all over the world. Particularly unique is the way the machine scans and expels the potato products. Pomfresh took the machine into use in February 2018. Xcalibur surpasses all expectations Since its presentation, the machine has been installed…

Central and Eastern European farmers march on EU Council

Over 100 farmers from Central and Eastern Europe protested outside the meeting of EU leaders calling on them to keep their promise and give equal pay for equal work. The farmers were promised equal EU subsidies to those given to their Western European counterparts back in 2002 but EU leaders have never…

Italy: Dehydrated garlic, gentler smell but stronger taste

Processing can be a solution to promote one’s garlic. This is what the Tabanelli Luciana company came up with. Starting with the fresh produce and then dehydrating it, the company is about to market 50-100gr packages of dehydrated garlic. They will be available from halfway through January 2019. Diego Capellini explains, “We…

Italy: Onion packaging with info for the consumers

It is crucial to always come up with something new and to offer additional services. The new net packaging of the Agro Emiliana onions is a response to that. The produce consists of white, golden and red onions in 500 gr tubes (4 pieces). Also, there are some indications on how to use it for cooking. The white onion…

Spain: Coopcisa, Coopego and Novacitrus join forces to form Green Fruits Coop. V.

The management team of the new second grade cooperative Green Fruits Coop. V., presented it before its partners and representatives of the regional and local Administration,…

Spain: Disastrous citrus campaign in Murcia

The professional agricultural organization ASAJA Murcia has described the citrus season as "disastrous and very negative," and has blamed the "productions of third countries, especially South Africa, which are seriously damaging the Spanish citrus sector." The Secretary General of ASAJA Murcia, Alfonso Gálvez Caravaca, has said that…

Change in foreign population of German states 2010-2017

Turkey: Bumper citrus harvest in Cukurova

Citrus production in Cukurova, one of Turkey's most important agriculture hubs, is expected to reach 1 million 650 thousand tons - an increase of 22% compared to last year. The orange, mandarin and grapefruit harvests continue in an area of 47.000 hectares in Cukurova, which is located near the southern Turkish city…

Turkey: R&D Center for Apricots is on the way

Prof. Dr. Aysun Bay Karabulut, Rector of Turgut Ozal University in Malatya, known for its apricots, announced that a Research and Development Center specialized in this fruit will soon be launched. The center will operate in the university particularly focusing on the research and project development…

Growers enthusiastic about high-yield primed onion seeds from Hazera

Priming, the treatment Hazera has developed for onion seeds, is purely customized and can offer many benefits for growers. Primed onion seeds mean that the onion is likely to grow more evenly and can generate a higher yield potential. Moreover, fewer seeds per hectare may be needed. Another advantage is…

Olivier van Assche returns to fresh fruit and vegetable sector via software

The fresh fruit and vegetable sector has gained a pair of experts. Olivier van Assche and Rick Rebergen are storming the Benelux and Germany under the Keelings Solutions' banner. Oliver will focus mainly on the Belgian market. There is still room for software improvement in that country. They both laid…

"Optical sorting and larger capacity Newtec scale came at the exact right time"

This month, E. Groeneweg & Zn Potato Traders invested in a new Newtec scale/optical sorter combination. "Our old scale did not have much capacity,"  says John Groeneweg from this company,  based  in Oudewater, the Netherlands . "We have actually been hitting the ceiling for more than a year now. Our people had to give it…

Traffic bans on Christmas Days

In some countries, there will not only be traffic bans on Christmas Day, but also on Boxing Day. It concerns the following countries: - Bulgaria - Germany - Greece - Hungary - Italy - Croatia - Austria - Poland…

Girò focuses on sustainability with resistant and recyclable packaging

Franco Locati, sales manager of Girò Italia (in the picture): "Our qualified R&D team is focusing a lot on research, in order to improve the consumables in terms of environmental sustainability".   "With regard to innovation, our goal is to develop new packaging systems involving sustainable technology and materials to produce…

Italy: Unusual November heatwave compromised mushroom production

In the current Pleurotus Eryngii mushroom campaign, the prices are dropping by 40% while the production increases. FreshPlaza contacted Rocco Viggiano from the Fe.VI. Frutta company in order to better understand the situation of mushroom farming in Southern Italy – especially regarding the Basilicata…

Spain: Potato production down by 15-20%

The FEPEX Potato Committee, which met this week in Madrid, confirmed that this year's production will be between 15% and 20% smaller than last year. It also analyzed the…

"Kaki prices are good, but don't reflect the 50% drop in the production"

Due to the persistent rainfall during the current season, kaki producers have been forced to start the harvest at least a week earlier. The harvest of Rojo Brillante kakis in Spain's main producing areas will consequently be finished in ten or twelve days. According to Pascual Prats, president of the Spanish Kaki Association,…

"The euphoria over snack vegetables has given way to reality"

There is a lot going on in the German food retail sector. Retailers are increasingly having to deal with the subject of convenience products: products for a mobile lifestyle are in demand, households are getting smaller and their diet healthier. Snack vegetables seem to be ideal to meet these consumer…

"Strikes in France are harming customers all over Europe, not just those in their own country"

For those who are dealing with vegetable and potato specialties from France, it is currently peak season, because on the Christmas dinner table, colorful beets and special potatoes from French soil are always popular eye-catchers. At the same time, the strikes and blockades in many parts of France are…

Dusseldorf dealers start cooperative to secure further development of wholesale market

The Dusseldorf dealers have founded a cooperative to secure the further development of the wholesale market. The next important step in securing the transformation of the Dusseldorf wholesale market has been taken: a group of retailers from the food sector have now founded "Großmarkthallen Düsseldorf…

Spanish organic products distributed exclusively by Labella Bio

“Spain has the largest agricultural area dedicated to organic farming, covering approximately 2 million hectares,” explains Iris Gil Mena, of Frutas Goostar. “With a continental climate in the center and a mediterranean climate in the South, the Spanish production can complement national supplies when…

Pink garlic from Billom on the Unesco Intangible Heritage List

Unesco has included the pink garlic from Billom, in the Puy-de-Dôme, as part of the intangible cultural heritage of France. Nicknamed “the white gold of the Auvergne” by the…

Morrisons launches 1 kilogram fruit and veg box for £1

Retail chain Morrisons is launching a one kilogram "Too Good to Waste" box to sell fruit and veg that are near the end of their shelf life, but are perfectly good to eat. The boxes will be on sale for £1 in every Morrisons nationwide. The product is designed to offer customers more of their five-a-day intake on a…

Agri food trade between the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia in 2017

The largest commodity in the Dutch export of agricultural goods to Saudi Arabia is vegetables and fruits (30.5%), a category consisting of a broad variety of subcategories such as fresh/chilled/frozen products, dried products, cooked & uncooked products, prepared or preserved vegetables and fruits or…

Marcel van der Pluijm starts Feeling Fresh

Marcel van der Pluijm recently founded the company, Feeling Fresh. "I actually considered taking this step a few times over the last ten years. But there was always a reason not to do it. This year, I turned 48." "It became time to follow my dream before I would regret never doing so at a later stage. After years of…

Ireland: Christmas campaign warns retailers against discounting fresh produce

Ahead of the two biggest shopping weekends of the year, IFA President Joe Healy has warned retailers against discounting fresh produce in the run-up to Christmas. “Using farm produce as a tool to drive footfall undermines Irish production and the financial viability of specialist growers and producers. Farmers have…

Nice quality for the 2018-2019 Kissabel® harvest in Europe and USA

With excellent quality in the leading countries and exciting prospects from first marketing tests, the 2018/2019 harvest of Kissabel® apples in France, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy and US concluded between October and November. IFORED’s partners in the Northern Hemisphere continue to develop coloured flesh…

Make your own Christmas ‘pineapple’

What could be better than a Christmas pineapple gift that comprises both chocolate and alcohol? A decorative pineapple that reveals delicious treats and bubbles will help you steal the show. Step 1 – Cover bottle base in tape Take a bottle of bubbles, or wine – it’s entirely up to you, as the finished shape will still be the…

Nominees for the FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award 2019

The top award for the fresh produce industry will be presented on 8 February 2019 in Berlin. More than 77,000 trade visitors from over 130 countries will have a chance on 6 & 7 February 2019 to vote for the innovation of the year. Here are the nominees at a glance. The nominees for the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award…

Labour providers to pilot seasonal workers scheme

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has picked Concordia (UK) and Pro-Force as the operators of a pilot SAWS scheme set to bring 2,500 seasonal workers to UK farms. This is pending the labour firms' successful application for a sponsor licence. The new scheme will be capped at just 2,500 a…

OVERVIEW GLOBAL GARLIC MARKET

In the past few months, more garlic has been harvested in the northern hemisphere than in the previous season, so there are rising concerns for the future. Prices are under pressure and, according to growers in different countries, they have actually dropped to unbearable levels. There is a similar situation everywhere in the…

AU: Queensland and Western Australian state governments to help expand horticulture opportunities

Producers in the Queensland Murray Darling Basin area are being encouraged to establish new, high value, profitable and resilient horticulture value chains, with grants of up…

New role may alleviate kiwifruit labour shortage

The New Zealand kiwifruit growers' association says it has gained support from the government’s Provincial Growth Fund and the Ministry of Social Development to employ a…

Vegetable growers benefit from Queensland government’s export assistance

A precooked, ready-to-eat beetroot product called Love Beets has caught the attention of one of Japan’s largest fruit and vegetable importers. Love Beets, which is produced by Queensland company…

Peeling a mango in seconds

Five green vegetables that may help manage blood pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is a condition where the pressure of the blood against the artery walls is higher than it is supposed to be. High blood pressure is one of…

Robots that will change the industry

There is not yet a real end in sight for the growth of the world population. With the current increases, there will be an enormous growth in agricultural needs and demands. To cover up these needs fast, farmers are turning their attention toward robots. From planting to growing to collecting, all…

MSC and Traxens launch IOT pilot project to improve terminal efficiency

As announced by Traxens, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is cooperating with its partner in a pilot project in Valencia to use an Internet-of-Things (IoT) network to…

Nominees for the FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award 2019

The top award for the fresh produce industry will be presented on 8 February 2019 in Berlin. More than 77,000 trade visitors from over 130 countries will have a chance on 6 & 7 February 2019 to vote for the innovation of the year. Here are the nominees at a glance. The nominees for the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award…