OVERVIEW GLOBAL CHERRY MARKET

At the moment, volumes are low and there's a high demand in the cherry market. The supply has been reduced mostly around the Mediterranean due to unfavorable weather conditions. Other areas, such as Greece and Turkey, are taking advantage of this. Dutch and Belgian cherries are also being sold for high prices, but those are…

Organic produce: “Keep that supply chain full”

Organic produce has hit the mainstream. So says Jim Donald, co-chairman of the board of Albertsons Companies Inc., a leading retail company with some 20 retail banners to its name. “Our produce manager is doing 40-50 percent of his business in organics. It’s mainstream and it’s not going away,” said…

Solid avocado production leads to promotable pricing

Good supplies of avocados continue to come from California, Mexico and Peru. “There’s much better volume of avocados than last year,” says Peter Shore with Santa Paula, CA-based Calavo Growers Inc. “Supplies have also been steady this year as opposed to last year. Mexico is having a steady year—its…

“Consumers are increasingly looking for plant-based options, especially during the pandemic”

The onset of the pandemic in March brought on some unexpected purchasing habits and everyone in the produce supply chain had to pivot to be able to continue to meet consumer demand. One of the strongest trends is the focus on healthy, immunity boosting, plant-based foods. Bolthouse Farms has been…

California table grape growers award scholarships

California’s table grape growers recently awarded scholarships to nine students in grape growing regions of the state. All recipients will be attending California universities or community colleges. Six field worker scholarships were awarded: three for $25,000 for four years of university study and three…

Apples now included in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

The U.S. Apple Association is extremely pleased with the correction issued by the Agriculture Department to its Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Apples, initially…

Outbreak of Cyclospora Infections Linked to Bagged Salad Mix

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration external icon (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of…

"Commercial disagreements between US and China are an opportunity for Peruvian exports"

The former Minister of Production, Alfonso Velasquez Tuesta, stated that Peruvian food exports had grown by 16% year-on-year on average in the last 18 years, going from 421 million dollars in 2001 to 6,219 billion dollars in 2019, while world food exports had only increased by an 8% year-on-year average.…

National Mango Board sponsors recipe-development program

The National Mango Board (NMB) is proud to be a sponsor of the ongoing Kitchen Collaborative initiative in partnership with Flavor & Menu magazine as a part of the NMB’s foodservice marketing program. Kitchen Collaborative is a recipe-development program organized by Summit F&B and Flavor & The Menu with…

Canada and Ontario supporting farmers through enhanced insurance protection

The governments of Canada and Ontario are providing the best support possible to help farmers manage challenges beyond their control by enhancing AgriInsurance coverage for…

Chinese banana market warming up

Last week (June 28-July 4), the market in all banana production areas but Guangxi remained stable, with little fluctuations in prices. In Guangxi, as the new crop just came on the market, prices…

Cambodian yellow banana exports soar 150% in H1 2020

Cambodia exported 147,760 tonnes of fresh yellow bananas to the international market this year as of last Wednesday. This means these exports are at 150 per cent over the same…

"Chinese onion market does not seem to be improving"

"Many production areas in China began to supply the market with fresh onions in April. Market supply far exceeded demand and the price dropped. Up until now, the low price has not been a stimulus for increased consumption. Onion farmers and traders are complaining loudly as the market shows no signs of…

Red onion from Acquaviva: entering foreign markets and retaining customers

"In addition to the various central and northern cities, such as Milan, Verona, Turin and Fondi, we also deliver our product to many fruit and vegetable warehouses in Southern Italy, but now our aim is to go beyond national borders and enter foreign markets - in which, as of now, we have only managed to…

Good new potato campaign in terms of both volumes and prices

The new potato campaign is coming to an end in Campania. The season has been positive in terms of quality, yields and prices, as innovative cultivation techniques and the relative investments repaid producers with results beyond expectations. In order to conquer the markets, in fact, the focus must be on…

Indian potato growers see steady demand, lower output

Backed by a steady demand and a lower yield, potato prices in West Bengal have firmed up by nearly 16 per cent over the last one month. The wholesale price of potatoes (the…

Namibia to spend N$13 million a month on potato imports

In an attempt to meet the monthly potato production shortfall, Namibia will have to spend around N$160,2 million on potato imports for the next five months, said the Namibia…

Special Lincolnshire potatoes to go on sale at Aldi

An assortment of locally grown potatoes from a Lincolnshire producer is now on sale in Aldi supermarkets across East Anglia. Holbeach-based potato supplier AH Worth has worked…

So PotatOh! is now available in Swiss retail stores

Terralog AG, the potato specialist from Bern, has launched its So PotatOh! product range – a healthy, fresh and delicious way to enjoy potatoes.  Product featuresThis potato speciality is vegan and doesn’t contain any flavourings, preservatives or synthetic colours. The ingredients list is clear: simply small,…

70,000 households to gain greater access to affordable vegetables

The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) selected East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer (EWS-KT) for its innovative approach to enabling smallholder farmers across the countries to adopt one or more off-season vegetable production methods.  Through the Grow Against the Flow project, the partnership aims to reach…

Eduardo Córdoba Pérez, new General Director of Operations at Primaflor

Primaflor's Board of Directors has agreed to appoint Eduardo Córdoba Pérez as the company's new General Director of Operations. The decision has been made in the framework of the remodeling process carried out by the company to continue adapting to new technological and commercial challenges, both…

Fruits de Ponent joins the Executive Committee of the Spanish Global Compact Network

The Spanish Global Compact Network has renewed half of the positions of its Executive Committee, whose mission is to promote the organization and approve its strategy and management, among other key aspects. At the 16th General Assembly, Josep Presseguer, general director of Fruits de Ponent, has been…

California table grape growers award scholarships

California’s table grape growers recently awarded scholarships to nine students in grape growing regions of the state. All recipients will be attending California universities or community colleges. Six field worker scholarships were awarded: three for $25,000 for four years of university study and three…

“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…

Chiquita's transfer to Guatemala affects more than 160 banana cooperatives in Honduras

Chiquita Brands, the transnational company transferred its logistics activity from Honduras to Guatemala because of the high port charges and fees, the high cost of electric…

RiverOak Strategic Partners

UK government clears Manston to re-open as air freight hub

Transport secretary Grant Shapps has given the necessary government approval for re-opening and developing Manston airport as an air freight facility. The airport is located some 100km east of London and the development consent order for the project was granted on 9 July. Under the proposal, put forward…

Port of Rotterdam to start trial with PIN-free container handling

This week, various parties in Rotterdam will be launching a new pilot project, in which containers are handled and released without a PIN code: a widely used verification method in this transport segment. The project revolves around a new application, Secure Container Release, which replaces the PIN code…

Lux Research

"Preservation tech is the key to driving higher margins and avoiding $1 trillion in losses"

Food loss and waste (FLW) currently causes an estimated $1 trillion in economic losses globally each year. This constitutes a major humanitarian crisis in addition to an economic one, leading the United Nations to set a goal of reducing global FLW by 50% by 2030. A new report by Lux Research, “Preserving…

"Commercial disagreements between US and China are an opportunity for Peruvian exports"

The former Minister of Production, Alfonso Velasquez Tuesta, stated that Peruvian food exports had grown by 16% year-on-year on average in the last 18 years, going from 421 million dollars in 2001 to 6,219 billion dollars in 2019, while world food exports had only increased by an 8% year-on-year average.…

The price difference for Spanish agricultural products at origin and destination has multiplied by 4.48

According to data from the Food Price Index at Origin and Destination (IPOD) for the month of June, which was prepared by the COAG organization, the price of garlic at its destination was 540% higher than at origin, as farmers were paid 0. 89 euro per kilo at origin and consumers paid 5.70 euro per kilo…

America really needs its farmworkers

In California’s Central Valley, workers are still showing up to work day after day, but a serious worker shortage looms. The majority of those who are picking crops are migrant workers who came to the state to provide for their families. Their hard work keeps the American grocery stores stocked; without…

NCA

Romanian drug smuggler uses fake fruit and veg business to traffic cocaine

Narcis-Bogdan Stoica from Neamt County in Romania tried to use a fake fruit and vegetable business as a cover for trafficking 15 kilos of Class A drugs into Kent, the United Kingdom. At Canterbury Crown Court, on Thursday, he pleading guilty to attempting to import the drugs which had a potential street…

PMA unveils details on virtual foodservice show

Produce Marketing Association (PMA) is dishing out food for thought during its first-ever Foodservice: Delivered virtual event July 20-24. The online gathering for the…

Kiwifruit exporter to focus on health benefits in new Australian marketing campaign

One of New Zealand's leading green kiwifruit exporters is zeroing in on the Vitamin C content of the fruit as part of its brand refresh, and new marketing campaign. NutriKiwi has been in the Australian market for five years and is a joint venture between EastPack, Trevelyans, DMS Progrowers, and OPAC.…

Spanish organic surface grew by 4.8% in 2019, reaching 2.35 million hectares

The acreage devoted to organic production in Spain stood at 2,355,000 hectares in 2019; 4.8% more than in the previous year, according to provisional data from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. With this, the organic acreage already accounts for 9.3% of the country's total Useful…

Organic produce: “Keep that supply chain full”

Organic produce has hit the mainstream. So says Jim Donald, co-chairman of the board of Albertsons Companies Inc., a leading retail company with some 20 retail banners to its name. “Our produce manager is doing 40-50 percent of his business in organics. It’s mainstream and it’s not going away,” said…

“Consumers are increasingly looking for plant-based options, especially during the pandemic”

The onset of the pandemic in March brought on some unexpected purchasing habits and everyone in the produce supply chain had to pivot to be able to continue to meet consumer demand. One of the strongest trends is the focus on healthy, immunity boosting, plant-based foods. Bolthouse Farms has been…

Ugandan government earmarks Shs19 billion for Nwoya fruit factory

The Ugandan government has earmarked Shs19 billion (€4.56 mln) to establish a fruit factory in Nwoya District. The factory, with an expected output of 12 tonnes per hour, will…

Philippines: Benguet province wants more vegetable processing facilities

Benguet province is intent on constructing vegetable processing facilities in five of its municipalities. Governor Melchor Diclas disclosed the proposal for the possible set-up of a processing center for other Benguet towns that was earlier discussed with Secretary William Dar of the Department of…

"Export price of Chinese frozen chestnuts 15% higher year-on-year"

"Unlike most other produce, the overall export of frozen chestnuts over the past months has not been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Compared with the same period last year, the current export price is showing an increase of about 15%." Yue, Manager of Qinhuangdao Yanshan Chestnut Co., Ltd. said. Processing…

Extreme winter weather disrupts harbour operations

Two "mammoth" cold fronts coming from the South Pole are bearing down on the southern tip of Africa, one making landfall yesterday and another low pressure system not far behind, bringing gale force winds, heavy rain as well as snow as deep inland as the Northern Cape and the mountains of Lesotho. Right:…

"Chinese market demand for baby pumpkins is growing quickly"

"The Chinese economy suffered from the outbreak of Covid-19 and now consumers carefully monitor prices before they spend their money. The overall price of fruit and vegetables significantly declined in comparison with previous years. However, the sales volume of our baby pumpkins did not seem to suffer…

33% of the value of Radicchio should go to every part of the supply chain

After the catastrophic season of the Veneto round radicchio (see Freshplaza of 6/09/2020), the representatives of the supply chain are debating on the situation. Giuseppe Boscolo Palo, director of the vegetable market in Chioggia, affirmed that it would only take a small effort to make ends meet. "Three…

Drop in tomato production in the EU while imports increase

According to the European Commission's “Report on short-term prospects for agricultural markets in 2020” corresponding to the summer of 2020, the EU's production of fresh tomatoes will fall by 2% in 2020 due to the 7 % reduction of the production in Spain. This is due to the fact that Spanish producers…

Exponential growth of the HPP avocado market

High pressure processing (HPP) for avocado products has experienced extraordinary growth in the last decade and is expected to follow the same path in the coming years. With an increase in global imports of 171.97% (5 billion dollars in 2018), agencies such as Business Wire, predict a CAGR of 5.3% from…

Solid avocado production leads to promotable pricing

Good supplies of avocados continue to come from California, Mexico and Peru. “There’s much better volume of avocados than last year,” says Peter Shore with Santa Paula, CA-based Calavo Growers Inc. “Supplies have also been steady this year as opposed to last year. Mexico is having a steady year—its…

Ray of hope for the pineapple sector

There is not much pineapple circulating on the markets and prices are likely to go up. This is according to Alessandro Dal Bello, vice president of Sife. "We've gone through some really embarrassing moments, where prices were below cost. There was very nearly a 2-for-1 offer. Now, it seems that things in…

"We foresee a 30% drop in the kaki production and larger sizes"

This year, the Spanish stone fruit campaign is putting an end to the trend of recent seasons, marked by high volumes and strong pressure on prices. The fall in the production across Europe, and in particular in Spain, where the meteorological instability this spring has changed the course of the…

National Mango Board sponsors recipe-development program

The National Mango Board (NMB) is proud to be a sponsor of the ongoing Kitchen Collaborative initiative in partnership with Flavor & Menu magazine as a part of the NMB’s foodservice marketing program. Kitchen Collaborative is a recipe-development program organized by Summit F&B and Flavor & The Menu with…

Vietnam: Lychees witness considerable price drops

Hundreds of lychee farmers are struck by the slumping prices as foreign traders were held up in quarantine.  The nation usually exports around 100,000 tons of fresh lychees, worth…

High durian yield lifts southern Thailand fruit production

Fruit production in the southern region has expanded by nearly six per cent over the last year, with durian output seeing the most growth at 22 per cent, the Office of…

“The Peruvians have now reduced weekly shipment volumes which should take the pressure off the market"

Back in May the estimate for avocado exports from South Africa was reduced from 18.5 4kg cartons down to 16m cartons, the season is now 70% complete and the estimate remains…

Vertical agriculture in Chile

Urban agriculture is beginning to take off in Chile, where the AgroUrbana start-up has just closed a $ 1 million seed capital round, raising its total capital to $ 1.5 million, to create a vertical…

“1/3 less fruit waste with Peel-A-Ton”

During the COVID-19 crisis, consumers have given increased attention to food safety. The use of automatic peeling machines has become more and more popular for companies that are involved in fruit processing. Ryo Takeshita is the sales manager of a Japanese automatic peeler developer ASTRA. He reviewed…

"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…

Surya Nair

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) corrections

The Secretary of Agriculture implemented the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which provides assistance to agricultural producers impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, through a final rule published in the Federal Register on May 21, 2020. However, there were errors in some of the…

Canada and Ontario supporting farmers through enhanced insurance protection

The governments of Canada and Ontario are providing the best support possible to help farmers manage challenges beyond their control by enhancing AgriInsurance coverage for…

Ombudsman secures $22,440 penalty for underpaid mushroom farm workers

The Fair Work Ombudsman has secured a $22,440 penalty against the former owner-operator of a labour-hire company following the underpayment of 80 workers on a Queensland…

Project to combat fall armyworm in Australia and South East Asia

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is leading a research project to understand and manage fall armyworm (FAW), a transboundary pest threatening crop production across…

British Columbia cherry packers invest in new grading lines and cold storage

Back in 2002, Global Fruit was established to support BC cherry growers in marketing their cherries to markets around the world. Since then, the company as well as the growers and packers it represents, have grown exponentially. “This year, Global Fruit is proud to be working with six packing houses and…

A wider range of aromatic herbs, available all year round

25 gram packs with dedicated and eco-sustainable packaging, more products available and all year round supply: Sipo focuses on aromatic herbs, with a range of 28 varieties, to satisfy all types of customers. Aromatic herbs. "For the new packaging - explains Massimiliano Ceccarini, CEO of Sipo and Lorenzo…

"Egyptian orange export to China ends one month early this season"

The Chinese fruit market is slowly improving as the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control. However, the profit margin is much smaller for importer traders in comparison…

Record figures achieved by Orri mandarins in latest campaign in Spain

The Orri mandarin has seen its sales volume increase by up to 54% since its regularization by The Enforcement Organization, S.L. (TEO), master licensee of the variety in Spain and Portugal. In their fifth season, more than 57,000 tons of Orri mandarins have been marketed, exceeding the forecasts for the…

Lemon prices in Chile fell in June

The sharp decrease in the demand for lemons in restaurants and casinos has impacted the price of this citrus in Chile, which fell by 18.7% in the month of June, stated the…

Spain: Citrus crops hit by disease in Vega Baja

La Vega Baja del Segura is located in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community. The Vega Baja regions have been hit with damage to crops of citrus trees by the disease…

Outbreak of Cyclospora Infections Linked to Bagged Salad Mix

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration external icon (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of…

Peru and Chile sign an agreement for electronic certification in agricultural exports

Peru and Chile signed an agreement to launch electronic certification in agro-export procedures between the two countries. This information exchange system on phytosanitary…

Monopoly Monopoly

Technology will lead to innovation within China's agriculture

China's e-commerce giants are using data capabilities and supply chain upgrades to help boost development of the agricultural sector. In Shanghai's Chongming District, Alibaba and government authorities have signed a partnership to help promote the island’s farm products using digital infrastructure.…

Container cooling solution expands presence in Latin America

Cooling systems inside shipping containers are vital for keeping produce fresh during their journey across the world but often the cold air isn’t distributed evenly, which can lead to the creation of hot spots inside the containers. Ronald Hagenstein, Otflow® CEO, explains: “These hot spots increase the…

"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.…

NEW: One Machine – Multiple Band Widths

"Introducing yet another layer of flexibility – Bandall is making it easier to label and bundle even greater varieties of products by adding a choice of band widths to individual banding units. With the new Multi-Width option you can now band more if not all of your products on a single machine, reducing…

John Lewis is to permanently close 8 of its 50 stores

South Korea: Continuous growth for Emart Emart Trader, owned by the country’s retail giant Shinesegae, saw sales up by 21.9%YoY (year-on-year) from January to May. Emart Trader is a warehouse style supermarket chain like Costco. There are around 20 Emart Stores in South Korea, the first one in Seoul was…

Meijer: Five supercenters across the Midwest

Canada: Loblaw workers in Newfoundland to hold strike voteDominion store workers in Newfoundland will hold a strike vote across the island beginning on Sunday, July 12, said Unifor's Chris Macdonald. Macdonald is the lead negotiator on Unifor's retail files, and has been at the table with Loblaw…

Mustard, anyone?