Pricing gaining strength on California romaine

Current supplies of romaine lettuce from California are slightly below anticipated volume. “I’d attribute that to some cooler weather we had in the last week,” says Mark McBride of Coastline Family Farms in Salinas, CA. “It has just slowed the growth a little bit.” McBride says Coastline just finished…

California kale grower hopes for increased demand as restaurants reopen

California supplies of black and green kale are currently steady. “Our quality is great out there and we’re excited to start our new crops as everything is opening up again. We’re hoping the volumes and demand follow suit as well,” says John Paul (JP) Oliver of Pacific Fresh Produce Inc. based in Oxnard,…

Virus free asparagus seed improves grower’s bottom line

The asparagus seed harvest in New Zealand is started two weeks earlier than previous seasons. The harvest of asparagus seeds would normally run from mid-March through to the…

Denomination of two new races of downy mildew in spinach

Two new races of the downy mildew pathogen (Peronospora effusa) on spinach have been denominated by the International Working Group on Peronospora in spinach (IWGP). Isolate SP1924 found in Europe, is denominated as race Pe: 18. Isolate UA202001E, found in the USA, is denominated as race Pe: 19. Rijk…

New Zealand's only carbon zero bananas

After an intensive programme of assessment and change working with T&G Fresh, Ekos and others, All Good now offers bananas (imported from Ecuador) that are certified Carbon Zero - as well as FairTrade.  Chris and Matt Morrison and Simon Coley, launched All Good by importing New Zealand’s first Fairtrade and…

Mexican potato farmers to keep up fight against US imports

Last week, Mexico’s Supreme Court refused for the second time in six weeks to make a ruling that could allow substantial new access to the Mexican market worth hundreds of…

Taiwanese pineapples arrived in Canada with delayed shipment and varying quality

In the past, 90% of Taiwan's pineapple exports were shipped to mainland China. This year, as mainland China banned pineapple imports from Taiwan, the island has been exporting to other countries. However, the quality of exported products varies. Shipments are made for Canada by air and sea from March.…

United Fresh statement on USDA ending Food Box Program

On behalf of the millions of Americans who gained access to healthy fresh produce throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we are deeply disappointed in USDA’s decision to end the…

Market wonders whether Zeder has been approached to sell Capespan, The Logistics Group

At the announcement of their annual financial results Zeder, leading investment holding company in South African agribusiness, mentioned approaches by unnamed parties to sell some of their holdings.  Market analyst Anthony Clark has taken this to be a reference to Capespan (of which Zeder owns 96%) and The…

Crowd investment campaign for hydroponic greenhouse kits

There's a new opportunity for investors with interest in the agricultural industry. The Israeli company TAPKIT hydroponic systems has launched a crowd investment campaign. With over 30 successful installations word-wide, the company wants to upscale their business. "We are already selling on a consistent…

Alico Inc. announces completion of sale of land to State of Florida

Alico, Inc. announced the State of Florida purchased, under the Florida Forever program, approximately 5,734 acres of Alico Ranch for $14.4 million, pursuant to an option…

Canadian greenhouse grower expands strawberry acreage

Nature Fresh Farms is moving forward in expanding its commodities into the berry category with more acreage dedicated to a strawberry program. With help from its longstanding growing partner Cielo Vista, the greenhouse grower will expand its strawberry farm from one to 16 acres, planned to be completed…

iFarm

Converting plane passenger cabins into salad bars

When a European airline sought new ways to reuse decommissioned aircraft, iFarm engineers got to work designing a custom vertical farm that could flourish in the body of an airplane.  Experts from iFarm proposed converting the passenger airliner cabin into a salad bar and designed a vertical farm with a total…

Port Manatee container trade soars 74 percent in record first fiscal half

Port Manatee’s vibrant containerized cargo trade keeps soaring to record heights, with the number of container units crossing port docks in the six months ended March 31…

New radish bunching machine for Grimmway Farms in California

Last week, Koppert Machines supplied a new radish bunching machine to Grimmway Farms in California. The Central Valley company is best known for its carrots, but also grows 65 other products, including radishes, all year round. This is sold under the label Cal-Organic. "It is fantastic to see those endless…

"Saving on labor, serving customers quickly"

Through a unique vertical peeling principle, HEPRO® not only offers its customers the optimum in peeling quality, but also scores with several other factors. "We want our customers to be able to get an idea of the machine with their own produce and their own employees. Especially now that trade fairs…

Beijing organizes ceremony to connect ASEAN fruit importers with Guangxi fruit suppliers

The 2021 Chongzuo City Agricultural Products and ASEAN Import Fruit (Beijing) Production and Retail Summit took place in the Guangxi Tower in Beijing on the 12th of April, 2021. The summit welcomed government officials from 17 provinces stationed in Beijing as well as relevant municipal officials from…

New UN-backed framework to boost agricultural trade between African nations

According to the UN agency, the initiative will help “unlock the potential” of the agricultural sector to contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth across the continent, and promote the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement that began in January, establishing the world’s largest…

Western Growers launches Global Harvest Automation Initiative

Western Growers is spearheading a Global Harvest Automation Initiative to accelerate harvest automation across the fresh produce industry, with a goal of automating 50 percent of harvest within 10 years. “For well over a decade, our members have struggled with a dwindling number of available workers. If we…

EU Parliament committees back Brexit trade deal

Yesterday, European Union Parliament committees overwhelmingly backed the new trade deal between the EU and former member Britain, pushing it to the full legislature for a…

Argentine pears are gaining ground on the Italian market

For the last few days, more and more Argentine pears have been appearing in Italian wholesale markets. In March, the import of these pears was expensive, but in April the customs authorities granted them easy access and, for this reason, the Argentine crop is now more present. At the Verona market, Argentine…

Panama's watermelon exports increased by more than 12% in the first two months of 2021

Panamanian watermelon exports in the first two months of 2021 increased by 12.4% over the same period of the previous year and had a FOB value of 1.72 million dollars. Panama…

Dazzle apples celebrate big launch in China

New Zealand’s Newest Apple Variety Dazzle has arrived in China with large celebrations at Wholesale Markets as Importers and Retailers race to get a taste of Dazzle Apples. It’s the first year that there have been large volumes of Dazzle apples available for Chinese customers and they weren’t wasting any…

“We always want to be close to the grower”

As the UK market emerges from the pandemic, growers everywhere  will be assessing the combined impact that Covid and Brexit have had on their customer base. A changing marketplace is naturally ripe for those willing to innovate and one place to start is the use of flexible and natural Controlled Atmosphere…

International Fruit Genetics develops $12 million campus in McFarland

International Fruit Genetics, based out of Bakersfield, California, has announced that it is developing a new $ 12 million research and growing campus in McFarland. The plans…

Polish apple trees hardly affected by recent frost

The Polish apple season is still ongoing, and one exporter states they’ve had a very satisfying season so far. They still have good quality apples in their cold stores and will be able to continue supplying their clients for at least a few weeks. For the next season, the frost in Poland hasn’t had a real…

Basil continues to increase in popularity

Supplies of basil could become slimmer as the Easter holiday approaches. Camilo Penalosa of Infinite Herbs in Miami, FL says basil volume at this time of the year typically comes from Baja California, the interior of Mexico and Colombia. Domestically, Florida and select greenhouses in the U.S. also have…

Over 700 registrants for the International Strawberry Symposium

Thanks to the great involvement of Chinese researchers and technicians, and through the collaboration with the Strawberry Association, Chinese Society for Horticultural Science, the International Strawberry Symposium (1-5 May 2021) has more than 700 attendees. There is still time to join without the…

Large crop of small Ojai Pixie mandarins halfway through season

As April gets into Ojai Pixie month, there’s still a significant amount of the crop to move. “There are a lot of mandarins still left to harvest in California--of all kinds. Gold Nuggets, Pixies and I think there are quite a few Tangos left. It’s quite a big crop left to go,” says Emily Ayala of Friend's…

North America, the main destination for Chilean kiwi

According to the second Kiwi Report prepared by the Chilean Kiwi Committee, at week 13, shipments of this fruit reached 5,254 tons. North America (the USA and Canada) was the…

US organic fresh produce sales up 9% in Q1

Total organic fresh produce sales for Q1 2021 saw a continuation of last year’s growth, increasing by 9.3 percent from the same period in 2020 and topping $2.2 billion for the quarter, according to the Q1 2021 Organic Produce Performance Report by Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.  Total organic…

‘Garlic is a cheap and efficient treatment for alopecia’

Finding a general treatment for hair loss is really unrealistic, as hair loss has numerous causes. Instead, finding a solution requires a finer-grained approach. Take alopecia…

Smart platform to implement a new eco-sustainable agriculture model

The agri-food industry is immersed in an unstoppable transformation process to adapt to the consumers' new habits and demands, as they increasingly seek more healthy and sustainable products. The goal of the iAgri project, an industrial research initiative, is achieving the implementation of a new…

Solutions for growers to not only become economically sustainable but reduce food waste

A New Zealand-based agritech solutions company says even changing an element of the way a fruit and vegetable business is run can greatly lead to the reduction in food waste and improve sustainability. Speaking at the recent MobileTECH Ag conference in Rotorua, WayBeyond Chief Technology Officer Jonathan…

Dr. Praeger’s launch new Cauliflower Veggie Burger

Today, Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods, the family owned and operated leader in the all-natural, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and kosher frozen food categories for over 25 years, announces the latest addition to their famous line of veggie burgers – the Cauliflower Veggie Burger. The Cauliflower Veggie…

AM King begins construction on cold storage facility for Mexican-based produce distributor

A M King has begun construction of a south Texas distribution center for Mexico-based GAB Operations, LLC (GAB). The new 45,590-sf facility, when complete, will provide increased cold storage capacity for fresh produce and will serve as a hub for the company’s U.S. and Canadian customers. The project is…

“Washing is not enough to mitigate E.coli when processing leafy greens”

Recently, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the United States disclosed the founding of a multistate outbreak of E. coli 0151:H7 investigation: the outbreak was linked to leafy greens. However, this is not the first time an outbreak involving…

U.S. tree nut exports reach record levels, easing oversupply burden

California tree nut growers harvested record crops of almonds, walnuts and pistachios in 2020, following a year of ideal growing conditions on expanded bearing acreage. The abundance of supply led to lower tree nut prices which, combined with a weaker U.S. dollar, have pushed exports to record high…

Who is the winner of this year's CPMA Packaging Innovation Award?

Mucci Farms announces it has been awarded the Packaging Innovation Award for the new Naked Leaf Living Basil Sleeve at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s 2021 Annual Convention and Trade Show. The 95th CPMA show is held in a virtual format featuring exhibitors from across the North American…

“French producers have lost almost their entire harvest”

With the frost episodes from last week, French producers have suffered heavy losses. Theo Kampschoer of Kampexport looks back on this complicated week. Heavy lossesIn the upper Rhône valley near Tain-l’Hermitage, in Ardèche and in the region of Mercurol, temperatures went down to -4°C, causing…