Import cherry arrivals expected later this month

Pacific Trellis Fruit looks forward to the upcoming import cherry season. “With increased volumes of cherries arriving in the U.S. from Chile and Argentina, we look forward to increased opportunities to work with our customers in promoting cherries well into March,” said Marcial Hernandez, director of…

"The weather has gotten warmer, which has put us on track to supply some great fruit for the summer season"

After a cold and wet start to the stonefruit season, a Victorian grower is expecting great fruit with higher yields for consumers this year. Foster Stonefruit is run by a husband and wife team, Brad and Lisa Foster, that grows and packs stonefruit and citrus in Beverford, near Swan Hill in Victoria. "The…

Slow start to Australian cherry season, good volumes to come

The Australian cherry season is well underway, with the fruit picked in October in the cherry growing regions in north-west Victoria and Griffith, Hillston and Mudgee in NSW, South Australian Riverland and Adelaide Hills. “Harvest succession is generally consistent year to year, with picking beginning in…

"Supplying a market ‘hungry’ for cherries while finding new markets is a challenge"

As Chilean cherries, blueberries and soon table grapes will be on the way to world markets, recovering from the Covid-10 pandemic as well as a global recession are still concerns for the Association of Fruit Exporters of Chile (Asoex). According to Iván Marambio, President of Asoex: “The threat of the…

Seminar of the PDO Peaches and Apricots of France: “We will have to adapt to the distributors’ demands”

The PDO Peaches and Apricots of France has reviewed the 2022 campaign and is “preparing” for the next one. This was the focus of the two-day internal seminar that took place a week ago in Avignon, with more than 80 participants. “The seminar was organized at the right time because the current economic…

"There is a powerful space for the early production of cherries in Chile"

During the 2021/2022 campaign, Chile managed to export 95,7% of the fruit produced to the south of Ecuador, sending 356.305 tons.  Samuel Escalante, director of Viveros El Tambo…

Argentina signed an agreement with the US to continue exporting fruits to that market

Argentinian and US health authorities have signed the update of the bilateral agreement of the pre-shipment at origin program for the export of Argentine fruits from areas…

Twenty years of research leads to three new apricot varieties

After more than 20 years of research and assessing thousands of apricots, Plant & Food Research Ltd (PFR) New Zealand has released a group of apricot varieties. Arlene Nixon,…

Wet weather affects Victorian cherry and berry season

Continuing rains over the past month have resulted in a tough start to Victoria's cherry and berry season. Growers have been struggling against poor-quality and dying trees,…

Egypt to allow the supply of grapes and cherries from Uzbekistan

The first meeting of the joint working group of the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt has been recently held,…

New cherry varieties shows promise to make Chilean season even earlier

In Chile the race is not only on to get tons of cherries to China in time for the earlier New Year, but also to breed and evaluate new early maturing cherry varieties that will make their season even earlier. These new earlier maturing cherries will also taste sweeter, have fewer chill requirements with…

Good volumes of NZ cherries for for Lunar New Year

The first cherry varieties from New Zealand's Southern Fruits International are usually ready by late December and the harvest then continues with varieties ripening progressively until February. The company grows a total of eight cherry varieties each with a distinctive colour and flavour profile with…

Hortgro

'SA area planted under cherries could expand by 90% in the next five to six years'

'In the uncertainty of life, the one thing we can be sure of is change.' That was the theme of the Cherry Associations annual general meeting, which took place on 27 July 2022 in Paarl. Hortgro Cherries chairperson, Arno Marais, said that change is not always easy, but it is the people and the businesses…

Chile shipping fewer and fewer peaches

Chilean peaches have begun shipping to Canada, though the volume of peaches out of Chile continues to get lower and lower. “Chile has seen more and more volume come out of the ground as various retailers, especially in North America, have decided to not use Chilean peaches,” says Larry Davidson of North…

Chilean cherries' harvest and export season has begun

"Chile is currently the leading exporter of fresh fruits in the southern hemisphere, with special leadership in cherries and plums. More than 8,000 producers are able to grow a variety of fruits in Chile thanks to the fresh air of the Pacific Ocean and the country's different climatic regions. Cherries…

"The recent price of Chilean cherries is lower than the same period last year"

At present, it is time for the concentrated arrival of Chilean cherries shipped by air. Due to the increased production of Chilean cherries this season and the fact that the Chinese New Year is coming earlier this time, the arrival volume of airfreight cherries is more than last year. Recently,…

Chile strives to maintain position in cherry exports

Walter Masman, an agronomist from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUCV), a technical advisor and consultant specializing in cherry trees, has been looking at the…

Aartsen: "Our branding key to growth in Asia"

"We import from and cooperate with farms in different countries to jointly develop markets. The farms are managed according to their own strict standards which are defined by the growers. We brand the high-quality harvests and import them into Europe and Asia," says Allen Wang, a representative from…

“Triple jumbo code” cherries kick off the Chilean crop

Chilean cherries came out of the gate with “their best foot forward.” This is how Ricky Armata of C&J Brothers describes the start of the Chilean cherry season which produced “triple jumbo code” cherries. “I’ve never seen such beautiful early fruit out of Chile or Peru in my life,” says Armata. “They…

Dutoit opens new Cherry Time™ packhouse with a ‘cherrific’ crop

The Cherry Time™ team at Dutoit is over the moon with the quality of cherries they’re packing as the halfway mark of the cherry season approaches. The well-known topfruit and vegetable enterprise grows approximately 2,000 tonnes of cherries per year, of which half is exported and the other half sold…

The transporter's strike puts in check the transport of 25,000 tons of cherries in Chile

“The situation has become critical for our fruit exports. There are significant obstructions on Ruta 5 Sur (Route 5 South). There are transit problems in Paine, also between the area of Rosario and Rengo. However, the Port of Valparaiso is experiencing the most complicated issues, as the carriers' strike…

Joy Wing Mau celebrates first arrival of Chilean cherries by air

In the early morning of November 24, a flight full of Joyvio cherries arrived at Chengdu International Airport. This is the first batch of several independent charter flights to arrive in China at the start of this new Chilean cherry season. It is also the first batch of co-branded fruit gift boxes, an…

California Prune Board welcomes 0% tariffs on prune imports into the UK

The California Prune Board has announced its support for the UK Government’s decision to suspend the UK import tariff on dried prunes. Effective from 1 January 2023, the…

Early stonefruit, perhaps early grapes as well

Stonefruit started early this year at Kasteelberg Vrugte, at the foot of the eponymous mountain in Riebeeck-Kasteel, and it looks as if table grapes could follow suit, says Lila Vlok, chief operating officer at JL Vlok Fruit.“We start in December with our grapes, when the stonefruit is ending. We were…

BC Tree Fruit growers force meeting over Lake Country plant closure

The BC Tree Fruits Cooperative board of directors and CEO have met with orchardists at a special general meeting at the Peachland Community Centre. The meeting dealt with…

Chilean cherry arrivals timed for early Chinese New Year's celebration

The first “Cherry Express” one of a fleet of 11 weekly ships, is on its way from the port of Valparaíso, Chile, to Hong Kong, China. The mainland Shanghai office of Garces Fruit, with their own brand called Jizhi 吉制, are hard at work to co-ordinate the arrival and distribution of their first containers,…

Turkey ships its cherries all around the world

Cherry producers in Turkey, having achieved tremendous success in the world market, have directed their efforts to breeding new, better varieties. The number of cherry…

Chilean cherries arrive in China ahead of Chinese New Year

Chile Week, the largest promotional event of the Chilean products in China, celebrated its seventh edition at the Chilean Embassy in Beijing on Tuesday. The event, which will…

Growing the popularity and sales of Australian cherries in Malaysia through a specialised campaign

As the cherry season approaches in Australia, Hort Innovation says the ‘Nature’s Gift to Health’ campaign was successful in promoting the fruit in the Malaysian market. The organisation is responsible for investing the marketing levy into a range of activities and a collaboration between the cherry and…

"We expect Chilean cherry exports to the United States will double in the 2022/23 campaign"

The sector has great expectations for this year's Chilean cherry campaign in the United States. In 2020, Chile exported 4,638 tons of cherries to the US. One year later it…

"After thinning the orchards, we expect Chilean dried prunes will have a good 2023 season"

Chile's D'Agen plums' fruit development period started a few weeks ago. These plums are later dried and sold to more than 70 countries in the world. “So far it's going well. This, after a normal flowering, which wasn't as abundant as last year when there was a greater supply of flowers, but with…

Start of the cherry campaign from Argentina

The cherries from Argentina have arrived at Sud ImpEx. The company specializes in the shipment of Spanish and French fruit and vegetables on the Saint-Charles market. Mostly produced in Patagonia, Sud ImpEx started with the Royal Dawn and will soon receive the Brooks. “We start with the calibers…

Small growers in Washington state heavily impacted by labor shortages

Every year, thousands of employees are needed in Washington state to help with the fruit harvest. Apple and cherry grower April Clayton says every year is there is a deficit,…

Early plum blossoms on Moc Chau plateau attract many visitors

In the northwestern province of Son La, white plum blossoms on the hillsides of Moc Chau plateau are always an attractive sight for visitors when spring arrives. This year,…

A cold and wet start to stone fruit season but New Year exports still look promising

It has been a cold and wet spring for one of Australia's stone fruit-growing regions, but there is still exciting news for one producer on the export front. Mattina Fresh National Sales Director, Tom Panna admits the wet weather has meant that export programs will probably not begin until…

The Cherry Express starts its service in TPS Valparaiso

The 2022-2023 maritime cherry export season has already begun in the South Pacific Valparaiso Terminal (TPS) with the departure of the first ship loaded with cherry containers…

Central Otago cherry growers expect record volumes of fruit this season

Central Otago cherry growers are expecting record volumes of fruit this season. New Zealanders should see plenty of cherries for sale pre-Christmas, with picking starting late…

"Currently we have a wait-and-see attitude towards the market for Chilean cherries"

Chilean airfreight cherries arrived at the Jiangnan Market in Guangzhou on November 8, attracting a lot of attention and starting a new season of cherries in the Guangzhou market. In order to get a preliminary understanding of the current situation of Chilean cherries, FreshPlaza spoke to Mr. Yin from…

Cherry X disease threatens orchards in India's Himachal Pradesh

Cherry producers in India's Shimla district, who produce 75% of Himachal Pradesh stone fruit crop, are being forced to cut down their trees due to leafhoppers that are…

Nectarine volumes down 50-65%

The nectarine harvest got underway on 1st of November at Riverbend Orchards in Wood Wood, Victoria. The start was two weeks late due to cold weather and rain. Riverbend have been growing in the area for 32 years as the favourable conditions produce prime stone fruit.  "The weather can control and contribute to our season in many ways!…

The price difference of imported cherries in the Chinese market is as high as ¥200/kg

As soon as winter comes, it’s time for imported cherries to travel across the ocean to the Chinese market. The price of cherries just in the market is obviously not cheap.…

Chile: Helicopters activated to save cherry crops after rain

Emergency protocols have been activated in south central Chile to save crops from unusually heavy spring rains. With cherries bound for export threatened, four Ecocopter…

“In Australia we are used to having exceptionally high quality fruit"

Sai World’s growers in New South Wales picked the first of this season’s cherries this week, they are being packed ready to be sent to India, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Australia has had an unprecedented amount of rain this year and this will affect the quality of the cherries, but according to…

Half of Turkish plum production is exported

Headquartered in the United States, Terra Fresh Exports ships their products from and to 65 countries around the world. One of the commodities that’s in season right now for the company is plums. They are grown in Turkey, both for the domestic market as well as Middle Eastern and European markets.…

Cherry prices are expected to double before Christmas

Cherry prices are expected to double before Christmas following recent floods in Australia. Heavy rain and cool weather means there will be fewer cherries harvested. The price…

Freak hailstorm in Chile touches cherry, table grape and blueberry farms

Damage to early fruit in Chile is estimated to be about 10%, with the full extent currently being assessed, after a freak hailstorm, which touched some cherry, table grape and blueberry farms over the past weekend of Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 November. Rain, let alone hail, is most unusual during Chile’s…

Gansu apples better quality and 10%-20% more expensive than last year

In China, the world's largest apple producer, the production areas are widely distributed. In recent years, apples from Gansu have been of better quality and have had higher prices at origin. This year, the new season of Gansu apples has been on the market for some time. Regarding the relevant market…

Chilean cherries: number of arrivals is lower than in the same period last year

It has been nearly two weeks since the arrival of cherries by air at the end of October. The volume of cherries in various fruit markets has gradually begun to stabilize, a…

Chile's 2022/23 cherry season officially kicks off in China

The first Chilean cherries shipped by air have already landed in China, reported Zhao Yibin, the manager of Shanghai's Huizhan International Trade Co., Ltd. air transport…

Positive Spring conditions lead to Chilean cherry bumper crop

Chile is depending for its cherry exports on China. Camila Borquez Maldifassi from Chile works as an independent service provider in the fresh produce industry. She has realized that since Covid, location is less important and people can work where their computers are. “I am now representing  international…

South Africa set for stable and quality new-season stone fruit

South African stone fruit suppliers are predicting a stable and high-quality 2022/23 export season, with improved volumes and a return to smooth trading after a series of logistical challenges over the past year. According to figures from trade body Hortgro, exporters are forecasting a 4% increase each…

Iran looks to cement position as one of the world's top date exporters

Iran exported 340 000 of their annual 1.4 million production of dates last season, but with competition growing from neighbouring countries, the are looking to cement their…

Chile cherry growers tour Cheery Moon orchards

Chile has become a key cherry growing region and recently, fruit breeding company IFG welcomed their growers in the orchards of Northern Chile, in the Ovalle, IV Region to show their Cheery Cherry™ varieties. In addition to the northern part of the country, this variety is also grown in Central Chile,…

Pakistan fresh cherries gains market access to China

Pakistan gained market access for fresh cherry exports to the lucrative China market. this follows after the Pakistani Prime Minister Shabaz's visit to China where the…

Dashang Group: "The domestic supply of cherries will reach 60 tons before the Spring Festival"

In the agricultural food pavilion of the CIIE, the fruit exhibits from the Dashang Group are very shiny. According to Flora of Dashang Group, this CIIE, relying on the concept of "sharing the future in the new era" and the national exhibition open platform, Dashang Group, organized more than 20 varieties…

Positive outlook for Chilean fruit exports

Chile's Federation of Fruit Producers of Chile (Fedefruta) reports that exports this season could be “very good for everyone,” thanks to favorable weather. “This year we see…

Excellent stonefruit development during warm and sunny springtime in the Cape

A springtime that was warmer than usual, with heat and sunshine coming on sooner, has had a number of pleasing side-effects in the stonefruit orchards of the Western Cape.As a consequence, the stonefruit export estimate is higher than last year across all categories: the expected plum crop of 86,000…

Early Chilean cherries are expected to fare well thanks to greater coordination of air shipments

Fedefruta visited cargo terminals at Arturo Merino Benitez Airport to review the coordination and investment that have been deployed to receive the load from producers, after the traffic jams that the entire logistics chain has experienced globally, and that have had an impact on the fruit sector. The…

Spring snow bites Central’s apricot crop

October brought with it extreme weather, including snow down to low levels across Central Otago, affecting a significant number of apricot crops. Cromwell-based orchardist, Simon Webb, says a high exposed block on his property that only had wind machines for protection, received a reasonable percentage…

Another less than ideal year for cranberries

Cranberries, which grow mainly in Wisconsin and Massachusetts in marshy fields called bogs, have had multiple low-yield years in a row, mostly due to extreme weather conditions they've had to endure. Just looking at the last few years, cranberry farmers have had to deal with hailstorms, floods and most…

Lebanese fruit and vegetable producers approach the Arab Gulf market

Traditionally less competitive than their North African peers when it comes to achieving economies of scale, Lebanese fresh fruit and vegetable producers have long focused on niche markets and high-end products. Today, they want to take full benefit of their competitive advantages and do more business in…

“Our research criteria for cherries: taste quality, self-fertility, caliber and productivity”

For over 30 years, COT International has shared its passion for varietal research in apricots with French producers and consumers, and it is currently present in 15 other countries.  Day of varietal presentation for COT International in a producing orchard The reputation of this French breeder is well established for…

Third La Niña could cause supply shortage for Christmas cherry supply

Consumers will have to buy their Australia cherries earlier than usual this Christmas, as supply is expected to be short as growers deal with cooler, wetter conditions.  A new report…

The price of the first Chilean cherries is lower than at the same period last year

80% of Chilean cherries are shipped to China every year. It has become a popular fruit in autumn and winter as it is on the market from November to February of the following…

A closer look at Southern Hemisphere cherries

A new Southern Hemisphere sweet cherry season has started, with record volumes expected. The Rabobank Cherry Report estimates that exports from Chile will continue to increase. However, all cherry producers in the Southern Hemisphere will face similar challenges in increasing competition, declining…

Early South African cherries have the world stage to themselves

The local market has been filling up with South Africa’s earliest cherries which are also, fortuitously, the only cherries harvested anywhere in the world this time of the year for a period of six weeks.FreshPlaza visited ZZ2’s cherry orchards on Toscana Farm, near Lanseria, Gauteng, where harvesting…

Cherry Express connects Chile to Shanghai in 23 days

"Cherries are a delicate product. They require special treatment to maintain an optimal quality when arriving in China from a market that is as far away as Chile, specifically…

Pagoda's first air shipment of Chilean cherries has arrived

On November 1st, the first batch of Chilean cherries imported by air by Frutacloud officially arrived at the Shanghai Huizhan Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market, and the…

Grafik: BLE

'Domestic apples dominated the market'

Domestic apples dominated the market: Elstar, Jonagold and Boskoop predominated. Braeburn and Pinova came next, in terms of relevance. Topaz gained in importance; they were offered in Frankfurt in 120 kg large crates. Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Royal Gala were the main varieties from Italy.…

Plum packing starts in the Western Cape

Packing of the first export plums (Suplum 41) starts this week at Sonlia Vrugte Pakhuis in Wellington, Western Cape. The packhouse's stonefruit season kicked off three weeks ago with Sunect 21 nectarines, a fairly new cultivar of which fair volumes have been planted. The first Supech 16 peaches and Royal…

Australian cherries: Wet weather looms over upcoming harvest

Australia’s cherry sector is currently expanding; consumers reveal a growing appetite for the fruit locally and in export markets. However, three consecutive La Nina weather…

The UMH came up with a method to increase cherry sizes and prolong its marketing

The small producers of Montaña de Alicante cherries have been affected by adverse weather conditions for four consecutive years. In the 2022 campaign, 99% of the production…

Mount Barker apricot grower stays put, despite decline of this industry in Western Australia

A Great Southern orchard does not plan on ripping out trees despite being one of the last commercial operations in the state; Annecke Theron runs what is believed to be the…

Australian new export brand set to launch at Asia Fruit Logistica in Bangkok next week

Australian horticulture’s has a new export brand: ‘Grown in Good Nature’. The brand is set to launch at Asia Fruit Logistica in Bangkok next week. Developed by Hort Innovation…

Vietnam durian makes an entrance to the new market

Durian grows in tropical regions around the world, particularly in the Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.  The durians from Vietnam are of high quality and delicious, and ​Vietnam has remained among the top three exporters of fresh durians since 2014. Durian is grown…

Chilean peach production has to strike a balance between supply and demand

Chile is one of the major exporters of peaches to the Southern Hemisphere, supplying fruit to the countries of the Northern Hemisphere, especially the US and Latin America.…

South Africa: Stone fruit industry looks forward to much improved export season

After a disappointing 2021/22 season, which turned out to be quite bad on a farm level given trade and logistical issues, South African stone fruit growers and exporters are…

Chilean exporters join forces in China

With two operations centers and cold storage facilities, one in Guangzhou and the other in Shanghai, Copefrut has successfully worked on China’s commercial platform since 2018 - facilitating logistics, imports and the delivery of quality services at the destination. To establish new synergies in the…

Uzbekistan plum exports hit record volume in 2022

The export season of fresh plums from Uzbekistan is coming to an end. The total volume of plum exports over the last ten days amounted to less than 80 tons. In 2022, shipments…

"Given the fruit's ripening condition, we will start harvesting the early cherries next week"

Everything is ready to start harvesting the first cherries of the Chilean season in Ovalle. "Given the fruit's ripening condition, we expect to start harvesting the first cherries of the season in the orchard of Tabalí de Valle Arriba as of next week," said Jorge Astudillo Gálvez, agronomist, production…

Mendoza's cherry harvest has started

On October 21, the Güizzo Frutas Frescas S.A. company began the commercial harvest of the earliest cherry varieties produced in Argentina. These varieties are harvested from…

Central Otago cherry growers predict promising season, but more challenges remain

Central Otago orchardists say the upcoming harvest is looking promising, but there are more challenges ahead. Chief executive Tim Jones has been pleased to see New Zealanders…

There are still many opportunities regarding Chilean fresh plums and prunes

Chile had a total prunes production of 90,000 Metric Tons (MT) at the end of the 2022 harvest. Of that amount, 71,000 MT were available for dehydration (79%), and the…

California produces most US apricots

California is the top apricot-producing state in the US. Apricot production moved from the San Francisco Bay area to the San Joaquin Valley after WWII. Contra Costa, Merced,…

Rescue Pops – Plums Up: Sorbet sticks made from repurposed plums

Peters Ice Cream has partnered with Australian fresh produce company, Montague, to create Rescue Pops – Plums Up, a frozen fruit sorbet stick made from rescued and repurposed…

A year to forget for plums in Italy

High production, although not excessive in Italy, good yields also in Spain, low consumption and the economic crisis have caused, and are still causing, problems in the marketing of Angeleno plums. "Given that there is no crop that stands out for being particularly brilliant," said Maurizio Filippi of…

Chilean fresh cherry exports are expected to increase by 25%

According to the ASOEX Cherry Committee's first estimate for the 2022-2023 export season, Chile will increase its shipments of fresh cherries by 25% over the previous season.…

Australian summerfruit trade mission to Vietnam ahead of market access reopening

The Australian summerfruit industry is looking forward to a strong export season to Vietnam, with market access reopening to the country for the first time since 2015. Last month, a group of growers, exports and industry body representatives went on a "reverse trade mission" to both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh…

Fruits imported from China have been on an increasing trend in Singapore

Due to its climate, location and the scarcity of land, Singapore produces very little in the way of fresh fruit. As a result, the country mainly relies on imports. This is also the main reason why the Singapore government is currently pushing for the 30/30 initiative to build up the its agri-food…

New flat nectarine variety coming to the US

Platty™ Moon is a flat, yellow fleshed nectarine variety that has been available in Europe since 2009. “It is a product of INRAE in France and has been available to growers in the EU through INRAE’s partners and sub licensees,” says Kevin Brandt with Brandt’s Fruit Trees in Washington. In addition to…

"Either we increase consumption, or when the expected production comes, we will have a problem"

Spain is the leading European producer of stone fruit and the undisputed leader in its export worldwide, although its supply has been reduced for 3 consecutive seasons due to the impact of frost and hail, which are linked to climate change. Profitability issues are becoming a bigger problem as production…

Hungary: Peach, pear and apricot crops exceeded earlier years

According to agroinform.hu, Hungarian orchards produced nice yields of peaches, apricots and pears this year. Unfortunately, this season’s drought did weigh on the nation's…

Peaches in Rio Grande do Sul may have losses of up to 40%

The next crop of peaches in Rio Grande do Sul may have losses of up to 40%, according to Embrapa Clima Temperado. In addition to adverse weather conditions, which caused the…

European Commission

European peach prices Week 39 at €114 per 100 kgs

European peach prices in Week 39 stood at €114 per 100 kgs, which is a 31 percent rise on the 5-year average. It is still a 18 percent drop compared to the prices in Week 35. The areas of peach and nectarine production have declined steadily for the past six years, dropping from 68,300 ha to 56,500 ha in…

New South Wales organic cherry grower to increase climate resilience via Woolworths grant

After being thwarted by years of heavy rainfall across New South Wales, organic cherry farmer Luke Cantrill from Cantrill Organics has received a grant of $500,000 from the…

New fruit fly species recorded in Himachal Pradesh

During survey studies conducted in Himachal Pradesh, a new fruit fly species, earlier confused with Bactrocera nigrofemoralis, was found by researchers of Y.S. Parmar…

"Brooks most promising early-season Chilean cherry variety"

Suda Cheng and Fiorella Bonino Sotomayor both work at work at Los Andes Beltroad. Suda from Shanghai and Fiorella from Santiago in Chile. The company specializes in the sales and marketing of Chilean fresh produce into China. At the moment the company is focusing on the preparations and arrivals of the…

Interspecific plums offer South African industry a way out

Interspecific plums (pluots and plumcots) offer plum growers a way out of the conundrum in which the South African plum industry currently finds itself, believes Jannie Marais of the Custom Plum Company (right) who has since 2010 been evaluating hundreds of plum varieties bred by Zaiger’s…

"Western Europeans who think they can keep relying on Eastern European workers are in for a disappointment"

Despite their good quality, few supermarkets in the Netherlands offer Moldovan fruit and vegetables. Yet, Dutch fruit and vegetable businesses recognize how motivated, hard-working, and good migrant workers from that Southeastern European country are. Every year, Cees van Doorn, founder of the VDU Uitzendbureau…

Farmprod targets sales of apples on Arab and European market

In recent years, the labor shortage has become hugely challenging for Western European fruit and vegetable companies. Surprisingly, it is just as big a problem for growers in Eastern European countries like Moldova. "Labor isn't as cheap anymore, and it's often not high-quality. We'll have to get migrant…

Turkey is the world's largest apricot producer

Apricot trees are planted all over the world, but to date, Turkey is the world's largest apricot producer according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. A grower of many…

"Seedless grapes are not easy to grow in Moldova"

It is not commonplace, but it can be done: with zero cultivation or trading experience, plant a ten-hectare plot with grapes and enter the market. Liubomir Vaipan, an IT specialist, working in the real estate sector, did exactly that in 2008, when the real estate bubble burst. He now grows and sells grapes,…

Ideal winter leads to good expectations for coming 2022/23 Chilean cherry season

The coming 2022-2023 Chilean cherry season is expected to be a good quality season following ideal winter weather conditions that bode well for this leading crop exported mainly to China. According to Claudia Soler Bottinelli, executive director of the Chilean Cherry Committee: “Winter rain and snow…

"Market for frozen fruit at a standstill"

Freshly picked fruit arrives for processing Fruit frozen properly within two days of harvesting often retains more vitamins than week-old fresh fruit. The frozen fruit industry is not yet highly developed in Moldova but the ample supply of fresh fruit has enticed some companies to purchase suitable…

TruCapeFruit expects good 2022 cherry crop

Tru-Cape’s Procurement Manager, Calla du Toit, says of the 2022/2023 season cherry crop that it is too early to comment on quality but the flowering period has been positive and they are seeing good bee activity so good pollination and good fruit set is expected. In terms of industry volume, the next…

"We have worked with Moldovan companies that get it and are real entrepreneurs"

Moldovan growers are not getting support from only USAID's HVAA project, as covered in an earlier part of our Moldovan special. The Netherlands Center for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI), too, advises and supports these growers to tap new markets through advice and active…

Bild: OGA/OGV

"30 to 40 percent of the plums we import are coming in from Moldova"

The Republic of Moldova has established itself as one of the most important producing countries for plums. "30 to 40 percent of the plums we import are coming in from Moldova," says Hans Lehar, managing director of OGA/OGV Nordbaden eG. "The quality of the produce is very good, although it varies, of…

Macoo GmbH

"Moldavian plums have been accepted in the German market"

Around the same time as last year, Macoo Ltd was able to unload the first plums from Moldova last week. The first deliveries were marketed relatively quickly. "Several importers have held back completely this year, due to poor quality. However, our first deliveries testified to excellent quality, both in…

The celebration of the cherry blossom in an orchard in Maule marks the official start of the Chilean 2022/23 cherry season

The official start of Chile's 2022/2023 cherry season was marked by the celebration of the cherry blossom. Chilean and Chinese authorities attended the event, which was held…

PGI peaches from Leonforte

The 'press tour' organized by the Consorzio di Tutela della Pesca di Leonforte IGP over two days has made it possible to present this excellent peach to various producers. The peach is actually a Percoca peach, i.e. with a firmer and crunchier flesh. Antonio di Leonforte, Petronilla Virzì and Rita Serafini This is one of the…