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Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Bite-size cucumbers are in peak season now

Healthy snacks that taste good and are convenient continue to be in a strong uptrend. “Within the cucumber category, we have seen the snacking segment grow in all greenhouse cucumbers,” says Matt Quiring, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Nature Fresh Farms. In response to increasing…

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“We put all our energy in the offshore melon season”

The US offshore season for melons kicked off early November. “We started with bringing in melons from the Zacapa Valley in Guatemala,” says Mark Cassius, President of Sol Group Marketing, a division of Fyffes. The Zacapa Valley is one of the main melon production regions in Guatemala. It’s a desert…

Later start of California cherry harvest

No two years are alike in California. The state experienced the driest three-year stretch on record until this last winter season came around. Torrential rain and snow drenched the state in recent weeks, adding to an already wet winter season. Another storm with more rainfall is hitting California this…

Autonomous growing:

"The point isn't to eliminate human labor, but to make the work easier for my employees”

The current world is being taken over by AI. The internet has been flooded with illustrations, and even videos created by AI. While some people are concerned that may cost them their job, growers are very much looking forward to the infamous autonomous growing. The road to that is getting shorter and…

Florida peaches waiting on rain

The Florida peach season is three weeks away from getting underway. “The crop is a little light compared to last year. Most of our trees are 10-11 years old and they’re kind of slowing down a little bit and aren’t what they used to be,” says Ken Edison of Deer Park Peaches in Saint Cloud, Florida. As for the growing season, while…

Banana exports lower in February 2023 -

Ecuador sees -99.17 percent drop in banana exports to Ukraine due to Russian war

Ecuador's banana exports to Ukraine fell by -99.17% or 1.55 million boxes less in February 2023 compared to the month just before the  Russian invasion started a year ago in February 2022. Only 13 060 boxes were sent to Ukraine this February compared to last year’s 1,566,944 boxes, which clearly shows the…

Core organic apple varieties go year-round

Rainier Fruit Company has plans in place to take core organic varieties year-round again. For the fifth year in a row, organic gala, organic fuji, organic Honeycrisp and organic granny smith apples will be supplied by Rainier Fruit all summer long. “It's a testament to the hard work that starts in the…

National Mango Board elects new officers for 2023

The National Mango Board (NMB) elected new officers during its annual March board meeting. This year, the meeting occurred in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and elections were held on Monday, March 13th, 2023. As dedicated members, the NMB officers will fulfill their duties and responsibilities by…

Customs broker celebrates 10-year anniversary

Miami-based customs broker Advance Customs Brokers will celebrate 10 years in business on April 1, 2023. The company was founded by Pat Compres and Maria Bermudez with the aim of providing additional levels of support and expertise to companies trading in fresh produce. Over the last decade, Compres and…

September 19-21, 2023

FIRA USA 2023 debuts farming robots in Salinas

The California Rodeo Salinas is set to become the hub of agricultural innovation as it hosts the 2023 edition of FIRA USA. The three-day event will bring together the agtech…

Bananas more »

Lidl in Germany to pay price premium for Fairtrade bananas

The German discount retailer Lidl commented on paying a price premium and so called "living wage" for bananas: “Lidl is currently implementing another milestone within its banana range: In cooperation with Fairtrade and the global Fairtrade certification company Flocert, the company will be the first…

In week 11, Peruvian banana shipments experienced a 34% year-on-year increase

Last week, Peruvian fresh banana exports finally ended the six-week streak in which shipments were lower than in the previous season. “In week 11, Peru exported 5,467 tons of…

Banana exports lower in February 2023 -

Ecuador sees -99.17 percent drop in banana exports to Ukraine due to Russian war

Ecuador's banana exports to Ukraine fell by -99.17% or 1.55 million boxes less in February 2023 compared to the month just before the  Russian invasion started a year ago in February 2022. Only 13 060 boxes were sent to Ukraine this February compared to last year’s 1,566,944 boxes, which clearly shows the…

Post introduction of FTAs with the United States

Banana production increased in several Central and South American countries

The nations of Colombia and Costa Rica have increased their banana production post-CAFTA-DR. Bar chart showing banana production growth or decline in Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Honduras after the introduction of free trade agreements with the United States.   Source: ers.usda.gov

Fruit more »

South African Table Grape Industry celebrates 2022/2023 China Campaign launch

On Friday, March 24, the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) celebrated a successful 2022/2023 China Market Development Campaign launch at Guangzhou’s Jiangnonghui wholesale fruit market. Joining hands at the event were representatives of the South African Embassy in China, South Africa’s Western…

Electricity costs up 133% for UK apple growers

A survey of British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL) growers has revealed that they are paying more than twice as much for electricity in December 2022 than in the same month in…

Harm Valckx, Berry Packing Services:

"When there are large supplies, blueberries are increasingly sold in 700 g-1 kg packs"

There were vast amounts of blueberries available during the overseas season. The volumes coming from Morocco and Spain are considerably lower, says Harm Valckx of Berry Packaging in the Netherlands. "We don't trade but pack for various customers, and most of the berries coming from Morocco have already…

Chlorothalonil is considered carcinogenic

Germany issues an alert after detecting chlorothalonil in melons imported from Costa Rica via the Netherlands

German health authorities notified the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) that they detected the presence of chlorothalonil, a fungicide that is considered…

Florida peaches waiting on rain

The Florida peach season is three weeks away from getting underway. “The crop is a little light compared to last year. Most of our trees are 10-11 years old and they’re kind of slowing down a little bit and aren’t what they used to be,” says Ken Edison of Deer Park Peaches in Saint Cloud, Florida. As for the growing season, while…

Core organic apple varieties go year-round

Rainier Fruit Company has plans in place to take core organic varieties year-round again. For the fifth year in a row, organic gala, organic fuji, organic Honeycrisp and organic granny smith apples will be supplied by Rainier Fruit all summer long. “It's a testament to the hard work that starts in the…

“We put all our energy in the offshore melon season”

The US offshore season for melons kicked off early November. “We started with bringing in melons from the Zacapa Valley in Guatemala,” says Mark Cassius, President of Sol Group Marketing, a division of Fyffes. The Zacapa Valley is one of the main melon production regions in Guatemala. It’s a desert…

Later start of California cherry harvest

No two years are alike in California. The state experienced the driest three-year stretch on record until this last winter season came around. Torrential rain and snow drenched the state in recent weeks, adding to an already wet winter season. Another storm with more rainfall is hitting California this…

Report on unseasonal rain and its impact on grape industry in Nashik, March 2023

"The rain loosened the natural protective layer, making the grapes more vulnerable to progressive defects"

The unseasonal rains seem to have a large impact on the grape industry in India. Darshan Patil, Director and CEO of Fresh Survey Pvt. Ltd. has written a report, which he shared on LinkedIn. According to the report, 40 per cent of the grapes will be rejected due to the damages, where normally no more than…

Strong demand for Tunisian peaches and apricots

Tunisian peach and apricot growers are expecting a good season, thanks to strong demand, good weather conditions, and better productivity this year, according to Mohamed Akermi, CEO of Tunileaf. "We are putting the finishing touches and preparing to send the first shipments of the season. At Tunileaf, we…

Turkish cherry harvest expected to start slightly early

A lack of rain will result in smaller sized cherries this year, says Akin Soyleyen, marketing manager for Turkish exporter Aksun: “The weather has been ever changing since the last couple of years, which has resulted in different supply periods for fruits. This year has been no different in that sense,…

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