North America Edition
Job Offers:
Announcements
Job Offers
- Account Manager – North Germany
- Operational Grower - Strawberries
- Retail Key Account Manager
- Sales Representative Southeastern US
- Bedding and Perennials Sales Manager Europe
- Ein- und Verkäufer Obst
- Horticultural Technician
- Agronomist
- Head Grower Strawberries, Norway
- Tissue Culture Laboratory Scientist
Specials more
Top 5 - yesterday
Top 5 - last week
- Thai durian exporter already blocked 100 containers before mid-April harvest start
- GLOBAL MARKET OVERVIEW AVOCADO
- More dragon fruit from Ecuador breaks the market
- Yet more rain could spell quickened end to South African grapes
- “I hear from our clients that our Gala apple is the best Gala you can find in Europe”
Top 5 - last month
- Thai durian exporter already blocked 100 containers before mid-April harvest start
- "Consumers will happily pay two euros for a Mars bar or can of Coke but not for their veg”
- “Fruit industry in the Eastern Cape is facing a perfect storm”
- Eastern buyers prefer the taste of South African Grannies
- GLOBAL MARKET OVERVIEW AVOCADO
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…
“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…
Latest photo reports
Special
Special Australia and New Zealand
Matt Palise - Red Rich Fruits
Volumes of Queensland's Imperial Mandarin up 10% this season
The Australian Imperial Mandarin season is about to kick off in Gayndah, Queensland. The local harvest, where 80% of Imperial Mandarins are grown in Australia, is around 7-10 days later than a normal growing season. Red Rich Fruits is expecting to harvest 250,000 13kg boxes of Imperial Mandarins that…
Matthew Falloon - Aspara Pacific
"Growers are always looking for high yielding varieties that maintain good tip quality"
The late Dr Peter Falloon started breeding asparagus over 40 years ago, and his son and the team at Aspara Pacific have been breeding asparagus in different forms ever since. "We currently have five commercial varieties. Four of which are mainly for fresh green production and the 5th is a purple…
"It has been a weakening year for the fruit category, declining $237.2million, with the volume also declining but marginally"
A concentrated sector has contributed to farmgate values dropping slightly in the fruit category
Despite strong growth showing positive signs for many growers in several individual categories, mixed performance across the sector saw the overall value of the Australian fruit sector fall four per cent over the past financial year. The Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook found that for the…
Global Focus
Global Focus Machinery/Packaging
Will paper packaging be capable of replacing plastic?
With new regulations emerging across the globe, consumers and businesses are getting the message that excessive plastic usage is bad for the environment. “The problem is that there is too much plastic waste and not enough economically viable means to establish effective recycling options,” says Steve…
Dutch company focuses on sorting, washing and packaging machine sales
"The market is ready for optical sorting"
This year is the Dutch company Remach's fifth anniversary. "We initially wanted to trade used machines. But after a few months, we decided to focus entirely on selling new sorting, washing, and packaging machines. We sell them for products like potatoes, onions, carrots, red beets, and other vegetables,"…
Innovative concepts for closing and labeling of fruit and vegetable trays
Multivac offers two resource-saving solutions for the closing of fresh produce trays with labels with their Top Wrap and Top Close labellers. At interpack 2023, Multivac will be presenting the new L 310 Top Wrap/Top Close conveyor belt labeler, which enables both labeling operations to be performed on…
Vegetables more »
Lettuce prices likely to go up again in Canada next month
Lettuce prices are likely to rise next month and could stay high into the summer, agriculture experts say, as flooding in a key California farming area becomes the latest…
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
Potatoes and Onions more »
David Ortega, from Santo Boniato: “The market isn't ready to pay a high price for this product”
“Frozen sweet potato is an interesting line that we have been considering”
After having experienced a very rapid evolution in recent years, we can say that the sweet potato industry is currently in a readjustment process, stated David Ortega, of the…
Exotic/Tropical fruit & vegetables more »
“We anticipate a great avocado season with favourable prices”
The Kenyan avocado season got off to a slower start than expected, says Dipesh Devraj, commercial director of Kenyan avocado exporter Keitt Exporters: “The much-awaited avocado season for Kenya officially commenced on 24th March, just a few days ago. The start of the season has been slower than…
Chile's avocado harvest is estimated to have fallen to 186,000 tons this season
According to Francisco Contardo, executive director of the Chilean Avocado Committee, this season's production was affected by the severe spring frosts, which caused the…
Iranian dates are doing well this Ramadan
The Ramadan 2023 campaign of Iranian dates has seen remarkable growth, according to Hossein Vasei, sales manager of the exporting company Amoot Iranian. Hossein said that Amoot's pre-Ramadan sales have increased by 28% compared to the same period of the last year, despite an unexpected challenge. Hossein…
Rouxan Jansen van Rensburg – Core Fruit
Early avo market in Europe the complete opposite to last year
Core Fruit, the avocado exporter of producer ZZ2, has for some weeks been exporting early Hass (Maluma) and greenskin avocados to a European market which is presenting a very different picture to last year: avocado supply from Spain and Israel tapered off earlier this year creating a big gap in the early…
Company news more »
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…
Starberry MD2 promotion in the Spanish and European markets
A shaker to reduce blueberry harvesting costs
Campagnola Iberica, with headquarters in Barcelona and production at Campagnola s.r.l. in Italy, is a leader in the manufacture of agricultural equipment, such as electric and pneumatic pruning shears, olive-tree harvesters, chain pruners and more. For blueberries, it has created Starberry MD2, a shaker that…
Greenhouse more »
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…
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…
Logistics more »
CN analysis:
Freight rates for Indian exports continue to cool ahead of carriers’ GRI attempts for US services
Container carriers serving Indian trades are seeing no let up in the erosion of export freight rates amid a slowdown in cargo volumes, according to the latest market analysis…
Machinery more »
Due to inflation, more Egyptian producers turn to second-hand machinery
After a 2022 year marked by growth in Egypt's agricultural machinery sector, estimated at 25-30%, investment stagnated early this year due to economic push-backs. Ahmed Heiza, general manager of Misr Vision, an Egyptian distributor of agricultural machinery, describes the situation. To begin with, the…
General fresh produce more »
Amid inflating prices, Kashmir officials issue price list for fruits and vegetables
The Jammu Kashmir administration has woken up to the exorbitant food prices in the region, issuing a price list of fruits and vegetables. Department of Food, Civil Supplies,…
Tunisian producers in a position to take advantage of the high demand, provided it rains enough
Tunisian fruit producers are preparing for the summer export campaign, in a mood of optimism mitigated by the fear of a reversal of climatic conditions, according to Mohamed Sadok, CEO of CarthagoExpo. "Climatic conditions are currently favorable to kick off the summer season, but we are still haunted by…
Management more »
Australian avocados gain entry into Indian market
Australian avocados gained entry into the Indian market this weekend, though final approval is subject to the success of ten trial shipments. Exporters and industry bodies have commended the Australian and Indian governments on reaching this agreement. The Australian Government’s Hass avocado market…
Miscellaneous more »
"We want Australia to be a leader in genomics-assisted breeding, especially in horticulture crops at the international level"
How fruit genomic research can in Australia lead to better tasting and more resilient crops
Australian research is underway into creating an advanced genomics platform, which will help producers overcome industry challenges, improve performance and lead to tastier varieties of popular fruit crops. Murdoch University scientists are studying the genome of five fruits – banana, pineapple, papaya,…
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,…
Agenda more »
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…
Organic Food & Eco Living Iberia will be held at IFEMA MADRID on June 7 and 8, 2023
"Ten weeks from the fair, there are only 8 stands available"
"The fourth edition of Organic Food & Eco Living Iberia aims to consolidate itself as one of the organic sector's most important fairs at the international level. The event will be held on June 7 and 8 at IFEMA MADRID, and it will have a high number of visitors and exhibitors. Ten weeks from the fair,…
Citrus more »
South Texas
Rio Grande Valley grapefruit: unabashedly sweet
South Texas grapefruit comes in a variety of evocative names, but the characteristics they all have in common is their distinctive color and taste. Round and luscious and…
Organic more »
Jeffrey Moret, TOFF:
"Dutch organic market dealing with inflation just fine"
There are reports that the Dutch organic market is struggling with inflation and that consumers are, thus, not buying organic goods. Contrary to that, TOFF has begun the year well. "Our customers will share their concerns with us, and we read that people are buying fewer organic products. Our sales…
Health more »
Veterans Health Administration and About Fresh to scale up 'food is medicine' project together
About Fresh, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Food is Medicine Research Initiative, is partnering with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to create a…
IT more »
Australian citrus nursery uses data-driven analytics for more sustainable water management
Hitachi Vantara and Golden Grove Nursery in Australia have applied artificial intelligence (AI), advanced analytics and sensor technology to inform data-driven irrigation water management practices for sustainable, environmentally friendly food production. Hitachi Vantara is the modern infrastructure, data management and…
Innovations more »
Bison by REV Packaging Solutions evolves together with the market
Anti-waste digitalisation and technology
Bison by REV Packaging Solutions, precisely conceived for the filling of punnets, combined with the specific denester-filler, is a weigher designed in the name of innovation (and not surprisingly subject of international patent). It represents a constantly evolving project come, by now, to its seventh…
Pear sizing mobile app delivers reliable size data earlier than ever before
Hectre, double award winners in the AgTech Breakthrough Awards, have announced that their latest innovation, the Spectre for Pears early fruit sizing app, has now been released to the market. Bartlett pears being sized by Spectre for Pears. The award-winning simple to use tech delivers high value to…
Processed fruit and vegetables more »
An operation to internationalize the Apulian company
A container of Lome Super Fruit juices has left for Canada
After the load in the early morning of yesterday (21 March 2023), a container filled with juices under the Lome Super Fruit brand departed from the Masseria Fruttirossi agribusiness plant, headed to the Canadian metropolitan city of Montréal. As for the internationalization of the company, we spoke with…
Cooling more »
Facility is one of the biggest in Australia
DP World opens one-stop refrigerated container facility in Sydney to serve growing demand
DP World has announced the opening of Reefer World, a new one-stop refrigerated container facility in Sydney, which will provide a wide range of reefer cleaning and repair services to customers in Australia and New Zealand. The dedicated reefer facility is the largest of its kind in Sydney and one of the…
Food safety more »
China releases National Food Safety Standard for MRL limits of 112 pesticides
In January, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) National Health Commission (NHC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and State Administration of Market Regulation…
Nuts and dried fruits more »
Prices of Portuguese walnuts are also decreasing
“Walnut season is coming to an end now, consumption is slowing down”
As the end of the Portuguese walnut season is coming up, demand is slowing down, says Sebastião Lorena, head of sales and marketing at Portuguese walnut exporter Nogam: “The walnut season has progressed as expected, with the lowering of demand and movement in expectation for the new crop. The season is…
Packaging and Labelling more »
Facebook post leads to unbelief and anger
Toronto: Sobeys sells individually packaged fruit slices
Netizens on Facebook were not merciful when someone posted about a Toronto Sobeys giving away "cute" individually packaged clementine slices. There were lots of comments like,…
Climate more »
The good and bad news for California growers after the rains
Short-term pain with some long-term gains. That's what California growers are facing following recent headline-making rains in key California growing regions such as the Salinas Valley. The big picture is, of course, that rain was desperately needed within the state following years of consecutive…
Retail more »
Dreamstime
Sprouts Farmers Market will eliminate single use plastic bags at checkout by the end of 2023Store debut in New York State for ShopRite
Ocado says Kroger committed to build more warehouses despite roll-out slowdownU.S. supermarket group Kroger Co is committed to building more automated warehouses in partnership with British online grocer and technology group Ocado, despite slowing a roll-out of sites, Ocado CEO Tim Steiner said.Source:…
