U.S. officials seize $38 million worth of methamphetamine in kale shipment

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility seized $38 million worth of methamphetamine within a shipment of kale. On Saturday,…

"The price of new garlic is not expected to drop in the short term."

The new season of garlic has started, but due to the reduced production, the price in the production area is currently rising, and the overseas customers are not active, while…

Hand-picked green beans from Mexico available year-round

While Peakopia brings many different fruit and vegetable varieties to market, green beans are the company’s main product. “We offer two types, light and dark, and they are grown year-round in three different regions of Mexico. We’ve been working with the same grower for years,” says Cindy Delgado with…

“It’s time to interrupt the North American mushroom industry”

Degrees of innovation in the mushroom industry vary greatly around the world. In North America for instance, selling mushrooms in a blue container is the standard and product containing dirt is completely acceptable. “Mushroom growers in this part of the world have been able to get away with it,” says…

Current average week prices of bananas from Belize at £0.95

This series gives the average wholesale prices of bananas by country of origin. The prices are national averages of the most usual prices charged for bananas at wholesale markets in Birmingham and London. This publication is updated weekly. The current average week prices of bananas were at £0.95 for bananas…

Better returns, but lower yields and higher costs for New Zealand onions

The New Zealand onion harvest was finished on time and the bulk of the seasons exports have been shipped. Planting has started for the new season albeit a bit stop start due to more wet weather.  "The growing season last year was particularly challenging, lack of sunshine and extended wet periods affected…

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Denmark: Trucker detained after huge potato spill delays traffic on Storebaelt bridge

A truck driver was detained yesterday after a load of potatoes was found spilled on a key bridge linking the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen. The driver was held on suspicion of causing reckless endangerment to life. A first spill was reported on the westbound side of the Storebaelt bridge early in…

Egypt might flood the global dates market within the next five years

Egypt is gearing up to boost exports of dates and to take the crown of the largest global exporter away from the current leader Israel. In 2021 Egypt wasn’t even among the top…

Native raspberries, limes and more: how did these curious plants end up in Australia?

While plants can’t walk, they can certainly travel. Some species have travelled vast distances over millennia, moving by different and varied modes. Some found new habitats…

In Senegal, a new tax to combat fruit flies sparks discontent

Fruit flies were among the main causes of the Senegalese mango industry's poor performance last season, prompting the government to take steps to combat them, and to resort to a new tax to finance the effort. At the launch of the 2023 mango export campaign, the Senegalese Ministry of Agriculture…

Pennsylvania fruit company celebrates 110 years

The fresh produce industry is made of a patchwork of family narratives, stories stitched together by a generation of people making a life for themselves in America. These founding farmers took what they knew from their homeland and created a legacy that continues to this day. Rice Fruit Company is one of…

Produce podcast hits one million downloads

The Produce Industry Podcast, a weekly audio source in the produce industry, has reached a milestone of one million downloads in three years and 300 episodes published. “Rarely am I lost for words. However one million downloads has left me humbled and speechless,” said Patrick Kelly, founder and host of…

Nonprofit celebrates community collaboration in Monterey County

Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that delivers fresh fruits, vegetables and nutrition education resources directly into families’ hands, held its inaugural Monterey County Spring Luncheon on May 11th for a larger conversation on creating communities of health through fresh food. This event…

Miami grower-shipper breaks ground on new Sweetwater facility

Grower, shipper and marketer Alpine Fresh broke ground on its new state-of-the-art facility. The Miami, Florida-headquartered company acquired eight acres of land in Sweetwater, Florida. The land will house the new five-star cold storage facility with a category-five structure and sustainable features…

Delphy Group remains independent

Delphy Group has decided to terminate the merging process with Canadian company AgriFORCE Growing Systems. AgriFORCE, a publicly traded company, gained attention in the international horticulture sector over the past year due to a series of intended investments. Delphy Groep will no longer be a part of this journey. The…

Little Leaf Farms inaugurates greenhouse, will add a new one in fall

US lettuce grower, Little Leaf Farms, is announcing it will open a new state-of-the-art greenhouse in McAdoo, Pennsylvania, this fall. This will be the fifth greenhouse for Little Leaf Farms and the brand's second greenhouse in Pennsylvania. With the expanded capacity of 10 additional acres of indoor…

Drewry

Drewry’s composite World Container Index decreased by 0.2% this week

Drewry’s composite World Container Index decreased by 0.2% to $1,682.10 per 40ft container this week. Drewry assessment for Thursday, 01 June 2023The composite index has decreased by 0.2% this week, and has dropped by 77.9% when compared with the same week last year.     The latest Drewry WCI composite index of $1,682 per…

Seven onion packers embrace TrueAI to transform the market

Together with customers, Ellips is looking for opportunities to improve their grading technology. This ongoing collaboration and our drive for innovation has helped to revolutionize the onion market by improving operational performance and enabling our customers to deliver the quality and consistency…

"Fruit and vegetable exports to overseas markets picking up well; we meet that need alongside local production"

Fruit and vegetable exports to overseas markets like the Middle East, Singapore, and Hong Kong are picking up nicely. That is according to Ruud Krul of the Dutch company Freshclusive. "It's more attractive to ship trade again due to the tariff drop. That works in our favor," he begins. "Exports to other…

Canada saw decline in availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in 2022

According to Statistics Canada, fewer fresh fruits and vegetables were available to Canadians in 2022. The most important causes were the ongoing supply chain issues, labor…

US agricultural exports in FY 2023 forecast down $3.5 billion

Horticultural products are unchanged from the February forecast at $39.0 billion. Whole and processed tree nuts are unchanged at $9.0 billion, with most shipments destined for the EU and Asia. Processed fruits and vegetables are unchanged at $7.3 billion on steady shipments to Canada. Fresh fruit and…

Fiona Simson elected to World Farmers’ Organisation Board

The National Farmers’ Federation is pleased to announce that Fiona Simson has been elected as a Director of the World Farmers’ Organisation. At the 2023 World Farmers’ Organisation General Assembly, held in Sun City, South Africa, Fiona Simson was elected to represent the Oceania Constituency of the WFO.…

EU considers granting drought relief to Spain

Talks will be held in Brussels this week as the EU Agricultural Ministers meet to discuss the ongoing drought in several member states, including Spain, Portugal, and Italy.…

East Texas blueberry crops struck hard by late season freeze

With the Nacogdoches Blueberry Festival just over one week away, this year’s blueberry crops look a little different. In mid-March, deep East Texas was affected by a freeze…

British Columbia cherry pollination shortened due to hot weather

“This year, it felt like we moved from winter into summer without any spring at all – during and since blossom we experienced unseasonably warm weather,” says Richard Isaacs with Global Fruit in British Columbia. “Things are moving quickly now.” “We are happy to report that we are seeing a good crop…

Connecticut hopes for disaster relief after severe mid-May frost

According to the state Department of Agriculture, frost and sub-freezing temperatures on May 18 destroyed millions of dollars in crops in Connecticut. The frost primarily…

AVA Magnum® grows perfectly in the Scottish climate

The Scottish strawberry season got off to a later start this year, as did the whole UK crop. This was due to the low light levels and colder weather, but picking is now in full swing at Angus Soft Fruit’s Arbroath farms. “We started picking on 6th of May,” said Allen Innes, Farm Manager at East Seaton…

Californian growers forced to pick cherries later than usual

Near Easton, in Fresno County, California, rapidly ripening cherry crop are showing off their deep red color. Tony Yasuda, field operations manager for the Rivermaid brand,…

Domestic cantaloupes also starting late this spring

Joining the many crops that are late this year coast to coast, the domestic cantaloupe crop is seeing a delayed start as well. “Typically we start around the first or second week of May. This year we didn’t start packing until May 23,” says Justin Bootz with Legend Produce LLC. “We didn’t change planting…

European apple stocks in May were 17.4% lower than in 2022

European apple stocks in May were 17.4% lower than in 2022 according to WAPA, the World Apple and Pear Association, who released the apple and pear stock figures for 1 May 2023. The figures show that in Europe apple stocks decreased by 17.4% compared to 2022 to reach 1 270 523 T, while pear stocks…

Protecting blueberry blooms from extreme heat injury using overhead irrigation

Michigan’s blueberry industry has been increasingly affected by climate change with spring heatwaves, long dry periods and heavy rains all causing a potential for yield losses. To illustrate this, in February-March 2012 daily high temperatures were the hottest on record since 1880, according to the…

International Blueberry Seminar shows desire for reinforced growth

With the completion of the second day ended the XXVI International Blueberry Seminar in Guadalajara this May 31 and June 1. On the first day, there was the important analysis…

EastFruit

Georgia wants to become a global blueberry market player

A massive harvesting of blueberries will begin in Georgia in a week. In the last two seasons due to relatively cold weather and rains in producing regions, the beginning of the harvesting season moved to June. However, the early harvest is already sold on the local market. Growers avoid making a…

"Demand for the Gourmet herb range continues to grow"

Butler Market Gardens have been attending Hort Connections for many years and will be there again this year. The team will not have a stand this year but still intend to attend. "This is the main event for our industry, we enjoy attending the seminars to listen, learn and keep abreast of trends and new…

United Producers of Mexico focused on avocado quality

Mexico is preparing to ship an exceptionally good volume to Europe when the next avocado season starts in a couple of months. The solution for good quality avocados from…

Last year, more than 6,000 hectares of citrus fruit were abandoned in the Valencian production areas

As the 2022-2023 citrus campaign comes to an end, La Unió Llauradora expressed "its concern about the continued loss of harvest production in the Valencian Community over the last three campaigns and most likely also for the 2023-2024 campaign." "Production this year has been just over 2.9 million tons,…

Vietnam: Ninh Thuan grapefruits receive code to export to US

Grapefruits grown in Phuoc Binh commune, Bac Ai district in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan have received a farming area code, which means they are now eligible for…

Peruvian citrus exporter looking to increase market share in Canada, Europe and UK

Peru’s citrus is moving swiftly with some producers seeing a two week delay in starting the harvesting of Tango, satsumas and novas. According to Roberto Vargas, from Asesorias e Inversiones Muva S.A.C, they are looking to increase their market share in Canada, Europe and the UK. “We started in week 13…

Phytosanitary inspections support citrus, grape and mango producers in Brazil

The inspection work out by the Agricultural Defense Agency of Bahia (Adab) follows the flow in the Territory of Piemonte Norte do Itapicuri. The team made up of state…

Chile and South Korea restart trade negotiations to lower citrus tariffs

The South American exporter of citrus and other fruits have restarted negotiations with South Korea to amend the existing FTA between them following a two year break. Chile…

US: Organic food sales break through $60 billion in 2022

Organic food sales in the United States in 2022 broke through $60 billion for the first time, hitting another high-level mark for the resilient organic sector. Total organic sales – including organic non-food products – were a record $67.6 billion*, according to the 2023 Organic Industry Survey released…

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Increasing fruit and veg consumption ‘equivalent to walking 4,000 extra steps a day’

New research suggests that eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains could be as good for your heart as walking 4,000 extra steps a day. The study was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. It aimed to explore the impact that consuming these foods had on physical…

New guardian monitor Wi-Fi launched

Agri-tech company Bluelab today announced the latest upgrade to the Bluelab Guardian product line, the Bluelab Guardian Monitor Wi-Fi (BGUSTD02) and Bluelab Guardian Monitor Wi-Fi Inline (BGUNLN02). The monitors are the first in the Bluelab product portfolio to support the optional connection to Edenic…

How to control the microbiome in soilless cultivation?

Although using microbes in traditional soil agriculture is very well established, the same can’t be said for soilless cultivation. “In this space, there’s an understanding that microbes in the system are crucial, but there’s simply a lack of tools to understand everything that goes on in there. So,…

US orange juice sales fall while price climbs

US orange juice retail sales have decreased by 13.2% this season to 27.17 million equivalent gallons. OJ’s average season-to-date price has climbed 12.6% to $8.61 per…

Union Pacific announces new partnership with refrigerated carrier Tiger Cool Express LLC

Union Pacific (UP) has announced a new partnership with refrigerated carrier Tiger Cool Express LLC to reinstate temperature-controlled intermodal rail service in eastern…

Precooling used to increase efficiency and reduce postharvest losses in bell peppers

In grocery stores brimming with brightly colored fruits and vegetables, it may not occur to many shoppers the complexity farmers navigate to consistently deliver high-quality produce each week. Consumers hold high standards for fresh food, which farmers aim to meet, but hot summer temperatures and…

The Spanish and European pistachio seeks common references and synergies in California's leadership

“Spain and some producing areas of Mediterranean Europe are experiencing the emergence of pistachio, but, compared to California, we are like a drop of water in the ocean. There are synergies that we should all take advantage of. If we want to maintain the current profitability, we have to increase…

ING.com

The sustainable food packaging choices that don’t come ready-wrapped

Food and drink producers are facing a sustainability dilemma. The need for eco-friendly packaging is growing, but it costs more and often isn’t as versatile. Faced with anti-plastic regulation and carbon reduction targets, commitment and major investments are needed to increase renewable choices. It…

Meteorologists predict soaring risk of flash droughts

Meteorologists from Oklahoma State University published a study which found that the risk of flash droughts, which can develop in the span of a few weeks, is set to rise in…