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- Commercial Manager Spain
- Crop Farm Manager Sharjah
- Commercial Manager Soft Fruits
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- Chief Executive Officer Hortifrut IG Berries
- Head of Operations - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Greenhouse grower / production manager - Brazil
Specials more
Top 5 -yesterday
- GLOBAL OVERVIEW TOMATOES
- “Harvesting large volumes of blueberries should be delayed by about 7 to 10 days”
- South African power grid under immense strain as cold stores prepare for new EU orange protocol
- Ecuador’s banana exports to resume after end of crippling nationwide protests
- New dragon fruit program being launched
Top 5 -last week
Top 5 -last month
- How a safari camp in the heart of Kenya’s Masai Mara is harvesting 200kg monthly
- A very crowded European avocado market
- Kenya has surpassed South Africa as Africa’s top avocado exporter
- "We have lost 80% of our stone fruit production this year"
- "The soil of Zimbabwe seems to be magical for blueberries”
Friday, July 1, 2022


GLOBAL OVERVIEW TOMATOES
The global tomato market has had some extreme ups and downs this season. Prices in many countries are up due to a lack of supply, pressure from ToBRV and the ever-increasing costs of production, including energy for those greenhouses growing with heat and light. In Italy, production costs are reported to have increased by 55%…


2022 seeing better organic banana supplies over 2021
Organic banana supplies have improved over this time last year. Along with Mexico, Organics Unlimited’s organic Cavendish bananas come from Ecuador as well to ensure year-round reliable availability. “Last year, growing regions were hit by a devastating storm. Luckily Mother Nature has been kind so far this…


Grown in the Sonora Desert
New dragon fruit program being launched
For this 7th Edition of the Organic Produce Summit, Covilli is thrilled to bring its newest, most exotic, sweetest super fruit: the Pitahaya, widely known as Dragon Fruit. In the works for the past three years, this crop from the cacti family grows on a succulent and is native to Southern Mexico and…


Congested Port of Oakland cuts free wait time for import containers
The Port of Oakland will no longer be lenient with the long-dwelling import containers clogging its ports. On July 1, Oakland is reducing the tariff-free time from seven days…


Record buyer attendance at foodservice conference includes school buyers
International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) Foodservice Conference scheduled for July 28-29 will have the highest buyer participation in 42 years with over 800 buyers.…


Ecuador’s banana exports to resume after end of crippling nationwide protests
Ecuador’s banana industry, which came to the brink after 18 days of protest action by indigenous people, is eager to resume farming operations, clear the backlog of over 1 000 containers and continue with exports. This is after the government and the protesting indigenous community reached an agreement…


Ecoation to partner with Mexican University
As a Canadian organization committed to higher education as well as advancing agriculture and food production worldwide, Ecoation is proud to announce it has signed a partnership agreement with one of Mexico's most prominent and well-respected agricultural universities, Ceickor Centro University, located…


US to give temporary work visas to 150,000 migrants in Mexico
Mexico’s Interior Minister Adán Augusto López Hernández has stated that the United States will issue 150,000 temporary work visas to Mexicans and migrants currently in Mexico.…
Ursula Schockemöhle, Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft, on Ecuadorian bananas:
"Ships are moored for days outside ports in the Caribbean or Central American region"
Ecuador is one of the world's leading countries regarding bananas. The country has so far marketed around 20 percent of its produce to Russia, equivalent to about 1.5 million…

Onionology campaign tells story of time, money, and energy devoted to growing onions
Gills Onions recently enlisted FoodMix Marketing Communications, a food marketing agency, to launch an Onionology ad campaign. FoodMix took the brand’s current look and feel and recreated it to align with its proud voice and attributes by using handmade scientific illustrations and a family farm-esque…
Vegetables more »

Mushroom farming grows in the Inland Northwest
Josh Yake, founder and owner of Gourmet Foragables & More, of Spokane, says he remembers when he was the only mushroom vendor at Inland Northwest farmers markets. But over the…
'Choose CT grown for holiday celebrations'
Stars, stripes and sweet corn
Summer is officially underway as Connecticut farmers are picking early varieties of sweet corn in time for you to celebrate our nation’s independence this upcoming weekend. Whether you are planning…
Bananas more »
Ursula Schockemöhle, Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft, on Ecuadorian bananas:
"Ships are moored for days outside ports in the Caribbean or Central American region"
Ecuador is one of the world's leading countries regarding bananas. The country has so far marketed around 20 percent of its produce to Russia, equivalent to about 1.5 million…

2022 seeing better organic banana supplies over 2021
Organic banana supplies have improved over this time last year. Along with Mexico, Organics Unlimited’s organic Cavendish bananas come from Ecuador as well to ensure year-round reliable availability. “Last year, growing regions were hit by a devastating storm. Luckily Mother Nature has been kind so far this…

Ecuador’s banana exports to resume after end of crippling nationwide protests
Ecuador’s banana industry, which came to the brink after 18 days of protest action by indigenous people, is eager to resume farming operations, clear the backlog of over 1 000 containers and continue with exports. This is after the government and the protesting indigenous community reached an agreement…

Extreme price pressure on banana producers
Despite the recent surge in inflation and despite decades of increasing costs and sustainability requirements for banana producers around the world, UK retail prices for bananas are still below the level seen in 1987. This is the finding of Rabobank’s fresh produce expert Cindy Van Rijswick, who gathered…
Potatoes and Onions more »

NZ onion industry applauds NZ$6 million EU tariff elimination
The New Zealand onion industry is applauding the complete elimination of tariffs - worth NZ$6 million annually - on onion exports to the European Union (EU) when the free…

Agricultural area up 2%, barley biggest riser
Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics' initial acreage forecast: -9,3% seed onions, +7,7% ware potatoes
In the Netherlands, in 2022, there were 536,000 hectares of agricultural land. That is 105,000 hectares (+2%) more than a year before. The barley area increased the most, but fewer seed onions and starch potatoes were grown. The acreage of arable crops has fallen by more than 15% since 2000. That is what…

Onionology campaign tells story of time, money, and energy devoted to growing onions
Gills Onions recently enlisted FoodMix Marketing Communications, a food marketing agency, to launch an Onionology ad campaign. FoodMix took the brand’s current look and feel and recreated it to align with its proud voice and attributes by using handmade scientific illustrations and a family farm-esque…

Trade issues, inflation and Future Farm Bill weigh on US potato growers
Geopolitical turmoil, global changes, trade issues and politics have all impacted the American potato industry over the past year and will continue to do so into the second…
Exotic/Tropical fruit & vegetables more »

Grown in the Sonora Desert
New dragon fruit program being launched
For this 7th Edition of the Organic Produce Summit, Covilli is thrilled to bring its newest, most exotic, sweetest super fruit: the Pitahaya, widely known as Dragon Fruit. In the works for the past three years, this crop from the cacti family grows on a succulent and is native to Southern Mexico and…

Mari Viviers – Pick n Pay
Avocados in service of 100-year old women’s shelter in central Johannesburg
The avocado buyers of NuLeaf Brands and South African retailer Pick n Pay were profoundly moved by the women and children they met at the Frida Hartley Shelter in Yeoville, Johannesburg.On the very morning of their visit as part of charity and teambuilding, the shelter had actually run out of food,…

Louw de Wet - FireFruit
Pitahaya fires up the imagination of Boland fruit grower
Louw de Wet doesn’t much like the name dragon fruit, preferring to call it pitahaya or fire fruit – a fruit that has fired up his imagination ever since he first saw it in a photo seven years ago.He has himself had to verify the variety names of plant material he’d received from elsewhere in the country,…
Company news more »

Ecoation to partner with Mexican University
As a Canadian organization committed to higher education as well as advancing agriculture and food production worldwide, Ecoation is proud to announce it has signed a partnership agreement with one of Mexico's most prominent and well-respected agricultural universities, Ceickor Centro University, located…
Cementing financial stability and creating room for growth
Greenyard completes real estate transaction with real estate investor W.P. Carey
Greenyard confirms the completion of the earlier announced lease-and-lease-back transaction, with real estate investor W.P. Carey Inc., of its Greenyard Prepared facility in…
Greenhouse more »

Pure Harvest Smart Farms secures USD $180.5 million from global investors to fund expansion
Pure Harvest Smart Farms (Pure Harvest), a sustainable technology-enabled agribusiness headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, raised USD $180.5 million in their latest growth funding round. The financing was embraced by a consortium of key global investors, including Metric Capital Partners, UK, IMM Investment…
Logistics more »

Jochen Borremans, Bingo Trans:
Transport sector offers both challenges and logistical handling opportunities
There are plenty of challenges in the logistics sector. But, it offers opportunities too. That is according to Jochen Borremans, Managing Director of Bingo Trans, a Belgian company focused on the logistical handling and transporting BelOrta's fruit and vegetables. He says there is a particular demand for…
Supply-chain bottlenecks persist at US ports and railroads
Congested Port of Oakland cuts free wait time for import containers
The Port of Oakland will no longer be lenient with the long-dwelling import containers clogging its ports. On July 1, Oakland is reducing the tariff-free time from seven days…
Machinery more »
Robots can now pollinate flowers with more precision
Robotic pollinator might decrease reliance on bees
WSU researchers are creating a robotic pollination system to stabilize the pollination process, decreasing growers’ dependence on bees. According to Matthew Whiting, professor…
General fresh produce more »
Work plan will be formally announced next month
US to give temporary work visas to 150,000 migrants in Mexico
Mexico’s Interior Minister Adán Augusto López Hernández has stated that the United States will issue 150,000 temporary work visas to Mexicans and migrants currently in Mexico.…

Tropcat GmbH
Fruit importer Tropcat now a member of Netzwerk Agrobusiness Niederrhein"We don't compete with regional German products, we complement the range"
Woman power, enthusiasm and love for organic certified fruits and vegetables, that's what Anieska Reynaldo values when it comes to her company Tropcat. Under the product name "Naya," she imports organically grown fruits and vegetables from Central and South America and Spain for the German market. "We…

Community comes together to build fruit research station in west central Michigan
In 2018, a small group of fruit and vegetable growers discussed a proposal by Andy Riley, a grower at Riley Orchards in Mears. Riley Orchards is a fifth-generation-family farm…
ACT Deputy Leader and Trade spokesperson Brooke van Velden:
'EU Free Trade Deal will add more restrictions, rather than granting new access to trade’
According to ACT Deputy Leader and Trade spokesperson Brooke van Velden, the EU Free Trade Deal will ‘add more restrictions, rather than granting new access to trade’. “Free…
Management more »

Zespri welcomes EU-FTA signing
Zespri has welcomed the signing of New Zealand’s free trade agreement with the European Union, noting the significant benefits it delivers to business, consumers and communities in both countries.…
Miscellaneous more »

More than 26 years jail time demanded for main blackmail suspect, attacks' mastermind in De Groot fresh group case
"A terror campaign of a severity, scale, and duration never before seen in the Netherlands." This is how the prosecutor characterized the allegations against 37-year-old Ali…
Fruit more »

Charentais melons grown in Belgium for the first time
The summer season is in full swing at REO Veiling in Belgium. Strawberries and woody berries are being marketed under the Fine Fleur quality label. This year, this cooperative's summer assortment has a special addition: Belgian Charentais cantaloupes. Usually, Charentais melons are imported from central and…

Watermelon retail merchandising contest call for entries
The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) invites retail chains, independent retailers and commissaries to submit entries to its 14th annual Watermelon Retail…

Good volumes anticipated for Polish blueberry season
“Harvesting large volumes of blueberries should be delayed by about 7 to 10 days”
The Polish blueberry season is expected to kick off in about two weeks. The weather has been pretty kind to the blueberries, with major frosts not making an appearance this year. Volumes should be strong, and there will be opportunities for both export as well as the domestic market. Sandra Stefaniak-Syguła,…
Herbs more »

Stronger supplies of California organic basil in 2022
Supplies of organic basil are greater this year. Jacobs Farm del Cabo has been steadily building a stronger basil supply each year, and this year will have more available than last year. At Jacobs Farm del Cabo, basil is grown in Watsonville, California, year-round. “Our basil supply is plentiful and local…
Agenda more »
July 28-29
Record buyer attendance at foodservice conference includes school buyers
International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) Foodservice Conference scheduled for July 28-29 will have the highest buyer participation in 42 years with over 800 buyers.…

Interpera 2022 sees the current challenges of the pear sector but believes in a brighter future
The 13th edition of Interpera, the international pear congress, has closed after a dense 3-day programme in Rotterdam and around the Netherlands. "Let’s face it, the current…
Citrus more »
South African power grid under immense strain as cold stores prepare for new EU orange protocol
The Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning calls South Africa's national electricity supplier Eskom "a national risk" as South Africa is experiencing stage 6 loadshedding which means at least 6 hours of power cuts over a period of 24 hours, often during…

Demand in other markets ensures Turkish lemon season was still satisfying
"The expected demand for lemons in the Far East market did not materialize"
The Turkish lemon season has been a satisfying one, says Mustafa Arslan, owner of MDA Agricultural Products: “Overall, we’ve had a very productive lemon season. From the beginning until the end of the season, it has been a very high quality and successful season for our Meyer, Interdonato and Lamas…

USDA
Morocco Citrus Semi-annualMorocco saw record citrus production in MY 2021/22
Production estimates for tangerines/mandarins, oranges, lemons, and orange juice remain unchanged from the December 9, 2021 Annual Citrus Report. Morocco experienced record citrus production in MY 2021/22. The 12 percent increase over MY 2020/21 is due to favorable weather conditions during the growing…
Organic more »

OPS 2022
Date grower-shipper highlights organic offerings in Monterey
Bard Valley Natural Delights® is exhibiting at this year’s Organic Produce Summit at booth #417 with its variety pack sizes of organic whole and pitted Medjool dates. The Natural Delights brand provides organic consumers and foodservice packaging sizes to accommodate a variety of date consumers. According…
Health more »

New study looks at effects of whole blueberry and freeze-dried blueberry powder on cardiovascular health in young adults
Blueberries are rich in polyphenols, and their effect on cardiovascular health has been investigated in interventional studies. However, the difference between blueberry…
IT more »
Acquires predictive crop intelligence technologies from Resson
McCain Foods Ltd. invests in the future of farming
McCain Foods Limited has acquired the predictive crop intelligence portfolio from Resson, an analytics technology firm enhancing farming efficiency. Resson's…
Innovations more »
REV Packaging Solutions launches a new challenge: who will take it up?
Eco-solutions for a concrete circular economy
The latest market research highlights how, when choosing what to buy, in everyday life, besides the product quality (which remains a constant at the top), a new variable has entered the game: the environmental impact of the product and of its packaging and the negative effects that they will have on the…
Processed fruit and vegetables more »

The added value of ginger juice
Ginger has always been a staple in Chinese cooking. But, these days, you find it in many drinks, like tea, blends, shots, and even beer. Its spicy kick means it has also even been deemed an alternative to alcohol. It is now available in liquor stores in beautifully designed bottles and is priced similarly to spirits. Now…
Cooling more »

The delicate work of keeping herbs cold
Keeping the cold chain intact is always critical when transporting produce. But it may be particularly more important in moving herbs. “Herbs are a highly perishable item with a very short life. The way you manage the cold chain directly impacts the quality and shelf life of the herb,” says Grego…
Food safety more »

How to ensure operations follow FDA’s new era of smarter Food Safety
In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration released the Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan to better respond to the various foodborne outbreaks under its…
Nuts and dried fruits more »

Almond Alliance supports growers frustrated by supply chain and water troubles
While almonds are California’s second-largest crop, bringing in $5.62 billion in sales in 2020, almond growers feel they are being thwarted by two factors over which they have…
Packaging and Labelling more »

Rob van der Weele: "Customers like it and its different colors"
New cardboard packaging for The Greenery's soft fruit and fruit-vegetables
Red, yellow, green, pink, and purple. The Greenery's new, colorful cardboard packaging is here. This new house-style packaging line, developed in consultation with The Greenery growers, is now available for fruit-vegetables and soft fruits. For fruit-vegetables, this new packaging is available for…
Climate more »

New climate research shows that ‘clean eating’ is more complicated than we thought
For a while now, climate-conscious consumers have embraced plant-based diets as a way to avoid the emissions-heavy meat industry. However, new research suggests a low-carbon…
Retail more »

Dreamstime
Alimentation Couche-Tard: 37.3% full-year revenue growth in FY22First Baltimore Lidl store set to open July 13
US: NRF says economy is slowing but recession is unlikely in near termThe U.S. economy’s rate of growth is slowing, but consumers remain financially healthy and the nation is unlikely to enter into a recession during the remainder of 2022, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz…