Thursday, February 21, 2019

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Florida Valencia orange harvest is imminent

Florida's Valencia orange harvest is about to get started for the year, with growers just waiting on the fruit to get a little less acidic. The sugars are there and packers are ready, but most growers are holding off to make sure the fruit has achieved the optimal balance of sweetness and acidity. "A few growers have…

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Cool weather hits California cauliflower production

Cauliflower is increasingly hard to come by right now as cool, wet weather hampers the Californian growing regions. Growers say the shortage has been exacerbated by warm weather a month ago, which brought product on quickly, before production halted just as the gap started to appear. "This season has had its ups…

Researchers find aromatic strawberry variety grows in South Florida

As National Strawberry Day approaches on Feb. 27, University of Florida scientists have found another variety that can grow in South Florida. It’s largely unknown to American consumers, it’s temptingly tasty and it’s good for local markets, UF researchers say. Alan Chambers, an assistant professor of horticultural sciences with…

Arizona grower raises $3 Million through Fair Trade program

Wholesum™ has reflected on the deep impact that the Fair Trade Program has had on its farms and employees. In what the company describes as a monumental achievement, the community development funds generated by the sales of Wholesum’s Fair Trade Certified produce has surpassed the $3 million mark in just…

New air purification technology for cherries during storage

Kapatovo Ltd., a fruit grower from Bulgaria, grows apples, cherries, grapes, and peaches in gardens and vineyards in the Valley of Struma region, in the southwestern part of Bulgaria. They have built 9 cold storage facilities with a total volume of 1200 cubic meters. The fruits they grow are very sensitive to storage…

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BrandStorm conference: moving mangoes from a commodity to a brand

The National Mango Board’s (NMB) Director of Marketing, Valda Coryat, will share the brand-building story of mangoes in the U.S. at the 4th annual United Fresh BrandStorm™…

Onion Market and Crop Update for February 21, 2019

"Volume out of Mexico picked up this week“

Market News Wisconsin: Doug Bulgrin with Gumz Farms in Endeavor told us Feb. 20 the market and pricing are steady there. He also described a “somewhat limited supply of medium…

Complications for Peruvian avocados due to heavy rainfall

The heavy rains in Peru continue to affect various regions of the country, so much so that the Government has declared a state of emergency in several districts of the departments of Tumbes, Piura, Lamabayeque, Cajamarca and La Libertad due to the imminent danger of floods and landslides, which,…

Exotic Colombian fruits with a strong export potential

The US Super Bowl was held on February first. It is an event that, in advertising alone, generates revenues of at least 380 million dollars. Colombia was a protagonist in this event thanks to the shipment of 100 tons of avocado that would only be used in the Super Bowl. There is a list of fruits that, like this fruit,…

Joel Nelsen on California's citrus industry

"We've created momentum by addressing consumer trends"

Citrus fruit production is an enormous industry, encompassing oranges, mandarins, tangelos, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons, limes, and other related fruits. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations , production is exceeding 120 million tons each year. China leads the way…

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Global Focus
Global Focus Organics

Organic pineapple market is a delicate balance

The push to get organic pineapples into stores in the US was not an easy road. But eventually, suppliers have managed to secure year-round supply for the market, with Costa Rica the main source, followed by Mexico. According to Kathryn Courtney of Pacific Organic Produce, it was thanks to the efforts of…

André Spangenberg - Groenheuwel Boerdery, Augrabies, Northern Cape

Organic citrus very sensitive to conventional market

Organic citrus production is very sensitive to the volumes of conventional citrus on the market and it’s such a small market too, says André Spangenberg, to explain why the successful organic example of his farm, Groenheuwel Boerdery in the Northern Cape hasn’t been more widely followed. “The market is smaller and…

Italy lacks aggregation when it comes to organic produce

"Despite the increasing interest for Sicilian organic produce, we are finding it difficult to stand out on the European markets," explains Salvatore Schifitto, administrator of Bioverde. Salvatore Schifitto "The problem is mainly due to fragmentation, which means we are not competitive with respect to other countries in the Mediterranean…

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Europe

Polish apple exporter Ewa-Bis sees potential during difficult season

“This year Egypt has been our main market for the first time”

The apple season in Poland has been turbulent to say the least. With Europe overflowing with apples, Polish companies have had to find different markets to sell their apples, not only to get better prices, but to be able to sell all of their apples at all. For Polish fresh fruit exporter Ewa-Bis, this…

Maersk enhances Asia-Europe Network to further improve schedule reliability

With the aim to continuously improve network stability and flexibility and enhance schedule reliability and overall customer experience, Maersk introduced changes to its…

Sustainability requirements will accelerate switch to reefer containers

While the container market reported an average annual growth of two per cent in the past five years, the reefer market grew by five to six per cent. This year, expectations for reefers are also looking well. Benjamin Vicuna, CA operations manager of Maersk Container Industries (MCI), talks about the…

Spain: Murcian lemons close to becoming unprofitable

Murcia's lemon sector is facing trouble this campaign after a few golden years in which the 'boom' in the production and profitability seemed to have no end. The significant…

World’s worst-performing major currency

Swedish Krona just can't get a break

Sweden’s krona slumped to its worst position in eight months after weaker-than-forecast inflation data stoked concern about the central bank’s ability to raise borrowing costs. The latest numbers add to investor scepticism on the outlook for the krona, which is ironically forecast to return the most among the Group-of-10…

Low supply of illuminated beefsteak tomatoes results in unrealistic prices

The Belgian tomato season has had a good winter period. “Demand for Belgian tomatoes was good, but we’ve noticed the supply of Spanish and Moroccan product also affects the…

Job van Iterson:

“Crisis of confidence in top fruit trade due to quality problems”

According to Job van Iterson of the Dutch company of the same name, the current top fruit season isn’t easy. “Major quality problems can be seen in apples this year, but even…

Kwanza 2019 season kicks off

On Wednesday, 20 February, the first Kwanza raspberries of the season were auctioned off at the Zaltbommel Auction House in the Netherlands. The first premier box was delivered by Zachtfruitkwekerij Simons BV. There, at his soft fruit nursery in the Dutch town of Schijndel, René Simons grows red currants and blackberries under roofs. He…

Marcel van Rooijen, Torres Tropical Fresh:

"The Peruvian mango season is ending entirely differently to expectations"

The mango market is stabilizing at the moment. "The volumes from Peru are decreasing, and the demand is good," says Marcel van Rooijen of the Dutch company, Torres Tropical Fresh. "The Piura season is over." "We are now switching to cultivation in Casma. There, production is, however, significantly lower than last…

Swedish vegetable processor looking for white cabbage supplier

Dafgårds now has only two suppliers of local Swedish white cabbage. The company is looking for new suppliers by means of large advertisements in local media. Traditionally,…

Hans Elenbaas, Elenbaas Zeegroenten:

“Sea kale - a fast-growing niche"

Sea kale lives up to its name. It grows as easily as kale. This means the market can grow along with it. It is one of the few vegetables that are freshly available in the Netherlands in winter. In the coming months, this delicate variety of ocean vegetable will be available for a short time. This makes…

New Easy Open packaging from Giro' Italia

The new Easy Open system designed by Girò makes it possible to easily open and close packets and nets without needing scissors. "We created this new system, which has never been used in the fresh produce sector, to open and close bags easily," explains Girò Italia sales manager Franco Locati.  In addition, Easy Open makes it possible to create sustainable…

New tomato varieties by Sicilian Suntime

"Our main objective is to develop and introduce innovation starting with the search for varieties that best adapt to our areas while at the same time being appreciated both in Italy and abroad. We also put a lot of effort in researching technical means as well as solutions for the problems of our…

New Basf reseach & development centre

Agricultural Solutions Basf's R&D Breeding center in Sant'Agata Bolognese, presented on 19th February 2019, features 13 hectares, a phytopathology lab, 3000 sq m of offices and 80 collaborators, 40 of whom dedicated to R&D. Click here for the photo gallery! Cutting of the ribbon . Left to right: Jose Salinas, Giuseppe Vicinelli, Stefano…

"Between 85 and 90% of the truffles consumed in the world come from Teruel"

Spain continues to grow, establishing its position as Europe's leading mushroom supplier

The consumption of mushrooms, whether wild or cultivated, is growing rapidly in a global scale. Due to problems with the substrates, large mushroom growers like the Netherlands have been facing problems to supply their customers. Given the situation, Spain would continue to grow and take the lead as a…

Spain: Food sector concerned about plastic for health reasons

The food sector acknowledges that plastic use is one of the most controversial issues that need to be addressed, not only for environmental issues, but also for health reasons. This was said in the framework of the annual conference on food safety organized by the Association of Large Consumption Companies (Aecoc), and…

Guide to help companies reduce plastic use

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has endorsed a guide to help companies reduce their plastic waste and replace the product with more sustainable materials. The report 'No to plastic in Nature: A practical guide for a business commitment' focuses on the strategy called "Organization for impact", explains the sustainable…

2,000 hectares

Spain: Catalonia approves plan to uproot peach and nectarine trees

This Monday, the Department of Agriculture of Catalonia approved a plan to uproot 2,000 hectares of peach and nectarine trees, which will reduce the acreage by almost 10%. This should have a positive impact on the marketing of stone fruit this summer, according to the Fruit Business Association of…

Tax rebates, a compensation system and stronger controls demanded

Spain: Approval of motion to analyze consequences on citrus of agreement with South Africa

This Tuesday, in a plenary session, the Spanish Congress has unanimously demanded tax rebates for the citrus growers affected by the European Union's commercial agreements. It also wants to look into a system to compensate for their losses, as well as to strengthen the sanitary controls and inspections…

Soft tips and cracking in recent weeks

Spain: Temperature swings cause damage to strawberries

Technicians of the Phytosanitary Alert and Information Network of Andalusia (RAIF) have confirmed that the sharp temperature swings recorded in recent weeks in Huelva's strawberry plantations have been causing damages to the fruit. To be precise, the main issues that are being detected are soft tips and…

Spain: Citrus growers protest in front of EC office in Madrid

The protests organized to denounce the consequences of the citrus crisis on the incomes of thousands of producers across Spain arrived this Tuesday before the doors of the European Commission office in Madrid. According to the agrarian organization ASAJA, more than a thousand citrus growers from all…

Asturias

Spain: "Kiwifruit is a very interesting product with many advantages"

Juan Carlos García, technician of the ​​Experimentation and Agroforestry Demonstration Department of the Regional Service for Research and Agro-food Development of Asturias…

Reduction of 2.6% compared to the previous year

Net profit of Coop dropped off in 2018

The net profit of the Coop Group decreased from 485 million Swiss francs in 2017 to 473 million Swiss francs. After announcing the Coop Group's sales figures at the beginning…

Market Report Austria KW 08/2019

Potato storages emptying rapidly, stable market situation on the onion market

The marketing of Austrian table potatoes is progressing rapidly. Rarely have there been thoughts so early in the year about the end of the marketing of food stuffs from the…

Silves: the citrus capital of Portuguese growing region of the Algarve

"Germany is a complicated market for the Portuguese citrus industry"

Last week, the third Orange Festival of the Algarve took place in Silves. In this stronghold of the Portuguese citrus industry, 90 percent of all domestic citrus is produced…

BLE Market Report KW 07/19:

Sweet peppers: Spain dominated, bypassing Turkey and Morocco

Spain dominated the sweet pepper market, more so than Turkey and Morocco. The offerings coming in from Moroccan were the cheapest, but they were missing completely in Cologne and Berlin. In the city of Munich they usually went straight into food retail. In Cologne, meanwhile, red Turkish varieties were…

“European bananas: sectors that must be protected”

Before the creation of a single market in 1993, “there wasn’t such a protection of the French market yet. Traditionally and for political reasons, General de Gaulle had attached great importance to the bananas from the French Caribbean and from Africa. Then, following the decolonization and the…

Belgium: The apple market is stagnating

Fruit growers are worried: apple prices have reached a record low. For example, the Jonagold, which represents two thirds of the Belgian production, is sold 60% cheaper than…

Ethylene to delay the germination of onions

Since 2003, the British company Restrain has been developing ethylene generators and rents them for the whole season to producers of tomatoes, onions and potatoes. This technology from the Netherlands is now sold in 36 countries. The mechanics of the generator are relatively simple: the heat produced by…

Competition and Markets Authority provisional findings

Sainsbury's shares drop after Asda merger put in doubt

Sainsbury's shares have dived 15% after the UK’s CMA) cast doubt on its plan to buy Asda, saying customers could see higher prices and less choice if the two grocers combined. This could block the deal or force the sale of a large number of stores or even one of the brand names. However, the CMA also said it was…

Currency in Romania approaching all-time low

The Romanian Leu (currency code: RON) this week has returned to a depreciation path against the Euro and again approaches the all-time low registered last month. Wednesday, the exchange rate…

Israel: Futuristic snack reminiscent of space age

Strauss Group Inc. is an Israeli food and beverage manufacturer. It is currently testing a futuristic new snack that is made with the same technology used by NASA to develop food for astronauts. The new snack is a  nutritional cube made from freeze-dried and pressed vegetables, fruits, and grains. It indeed looks like something…

King's College London

‘Blueberries can help lower blood pressure’

A new study published in the Journal of Gerontology Series A has found that eating 200 gr of blueberries every day for a month can lead to an improvement in blood vessel…

Coskun Eren on the upcoming stonefruit season

“I love a good rivalry, rivals push you to improve yourself”

The stonefruit season in Turkey is about to start and for one particular exporter the hopes are the upcoming season will be one that defines them. With Spain as a strong competitor, the Turkish company aims to improve itself in every way possible. For Turkish exporter Eren Tarim, the upcoming season is met with…

Fresh Del Monte corrects avo results, postpones dividend payout

Earlier this week, Fresh Del Monte announced its fourth-quarter figures for 2018 as well as those for the entire financial year. The multinational has adjusted its Q4 avocado…

Former EU ambassador: No-deal Brexit 'means hard border'

The UK's former ambassador to the EU, Sir Ivan Rogers, has warned there will be a hard border in Ireland if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Rogers was giving evidence to the Lords EU Committee, saying said that if a hard Irish border was to be avoided in a no-deal scenario, there would instead have to be…

Belgian fruit and vegetable cutter Allgro opts for Tramper tray sealers again

Crisp vegetables, fresh fruit and aromatic herbs, that is the tasty basis of the family recipe called Allgro. Allgro, a family-run business, has been combining the wholesale of fruit, vegetables and potatoes with fruit and vegetable cutting since 1990. Thanks to the continuous range of new and innovative products, the…

APM Terminals helps streamline global fruit company’s logistics

APM Terminals Inland Services in Costa Rica has worked closely with one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of tropical fruit. Among other things, the solution has helped optimize the flow of containers to fruit plantations on the Caribbean coast, increase efficiency and lower reefer…

Girteka Logistics continues its expansion abroad with new transport base in Poland

Girteka Logistics, one of the leading transport and logistics companies in Europe, has opened a transport base in Poznan, Poland. This is another important step for the company towards achieving its goals – to expand its business and to have 10 000 trucks and 20 000 drivers by 2021. “We are planning to have more than 300…

And more cocaine found in port of Antwerp

Cocaine in container filled with organic bananas

Two inspections carried out by the Drug Control Police led to the seizure of 294 kilos of cocaine. A coordinated operation involving Colombia, Costa Rica and Belgium was aimed at an organization dedicated to drug trafficking. It ended with the seizure of 92 kilos of cocaine that were found on a ship from…

German chain Aldi wants to cut banana prices from Ecuador

German supermarket chain Aldi wants to cut banana prices from Ecuador from €8 to €7. But Development Minister Gerd Müller has called on German companies to ensure fair pricing and production conditions. Click here for a short video.

Oceania

Fiji farmers welcome Agriculture Minister's comments on boosting markets

Mahendra Reddy's is Fiji’s Minister for Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development, Waterways and Environment. His recent statement about boosting markets for produce was very much have welcomed by many of his nation’s farmers. Fiji farmers incur many losses because they are unable to sell all their products. "The unsold…

Ruby Rise Red Papaya

Australia’s newest red papaya brand

Ruby Rise Red Papaya is 100% Australian-grown and owned. The team behind this fantastic new brand of red papaya are MacKay’s Marketing and the MacKay family. Mackay’s Marketing is a family owned business that is closely aligned with other farming families supplying fresh and healthy produce from Far…

World

Peter Sand, Bimco

“Container lines need to pass on IMO 2020 costs”

Bimco analyst Peter Sand has warned that a failure by container lines to pass increased fuel costs from the IMO 2020 sulphur cap could result in bankruptcies. In his latest report for container shipping, Sand warned of a tough year for the mainline container trades, as there are number of pitfalls ahead…

Areas of the US vs European countries with an equal GDP

Weird, but interesting.

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