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Monday, January 18, 2021
EUROPE

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Job Offers

Quality Assurance System Manager

Junior Quality Control Technician

Regional Sales Manager - Root, Switzerland

Horticulture Specialist - Guelph (Ontario) Canada

Technical Director - Brussels, Belgium

Senior Maintenance Engineer - USA East coast greenhouse facility, location negotiable

Greenhouse Assistant - Abbotsford (BC) Canada

Technical Service Manager - remote, US based

Chief agronomic / Head grower

Chief Executive Officer

Op Altamura

Delays in the availability of baby leaves over the next few weeks

Considering the time we are living in, we can say the Christmas period has been rather lively for packed unwashed baby leaves. "We did not register the trend of previous…

Job Offers:

Quality Assurance System Manager

New grapefruit brand in Israel

There are orchards north of the "Sea of Galilee" and spread along the Hula Valley in Israel, that have different growing conditions. “This 'Red Premium' grapefruit has…

Artichoke sales are slow and warehouses are full

Artichoke sales dropped before the Christmas holidays and storage units are still full. The Italian produce is affected by the competition from Egypt and Tunisia and producers…

Aartsen Asia

"First Chilean cherries in Vietnam!"

"A nonstopfresh start to 2021! After being closed for 5 years, the Vietnamese have opened their borders again for Chilean cherries. We are happy with the reopening of this…

Jan Franje, Franje Onions:

"The biggest problem for the onion sector is currently fusarium"

Calm has returned to the Dutch onion exporting sector. "I find it difficult to predict how the market will develop. Everyone is saying that many onions have been shipped and…

“The Valencia season started with some challenges in the Chinese market”

The Valencias from Egypt experiences some trouble in the Chinese market. A new inspection procedure meant changes needed to be made in the Egyptian pack-houses, something the…

Jacob Aktalan (MG Fruit): "Brazil has exclusive rights to the melon market this month"

"Good sales of Galia melons and watermelons; sales of yellow melons stall after price upswing"

There is currently a good market for Galia, Cantaloupe, and yellow melons from Brazil. "Especially the sale of Galias is going well. We are seeing prices around 8 euro and I…

Aiming for the first ten days of March

Sales of Rojo Brillante persimmons extended due to new techniques

Italian persimmons belonging to the Rojo Brillante variety are currently still available in the markets and are expected to remain so until early February. "This is the result…

"We invite Yoann Alarçon to taste our strawberries"

Chairman of Freshuelva responds to statement on strawberries from Carrefour France

Yoann Alarçon, fresh produce manager of Carrefour France, recently announced on his Twitter account that the supermarket chain would not offer strawberries in…

New secretary and first chairman for the NEPG

The NEPG which till December 31st was a 5 country organisation (EU-05: B, D, F, GB, NL), started on January 1st without the British AHDB. Due to different…

Special Latin America

Aad van der Kleij, Staay-Hispa:

"Revival in demand and prices during final stretch of Brazilian melon season"

Just a few more weeks before the Brazilian melon season crosses the finish line and comes to an end. Costa Rica will then take over the supply again. Commercial manager Aad…

Global Focus Grapes

Grape transition faces logistical port issues

As grape production transitions to offshore supplies, logistics are somewhat hampering the availability of fruit. “The change between California and Peru has been going on.…

Mango peeling machine for the fresh-cut and processing industries

"We are proud to report that mango peeler mod. PL6M is one of our most popular machines. Despite the copies made by our competitors, our clients recognize ours as the…

Will Teeuwen: "The biggest challenge is the availability of personnel; I am not worried about sales"

First Limburg greenhouse asparagus arrive extremely early at Teboza

The first greenhouse asparagus haves already been harvested at Teboza, in Helden, Limburg. "Extremely early; we were also surprised ourselves. Normally, the first asparagus…

Agrobox technology against point source pollution. Video below.

The latest technology in water recovery from air-blast sprayers

Sooner or later, the world of horticulture and viticulture will have to face the issue of point source pollution. At present, wash waters are dispersed in the soil, as are…

Meijnen transport at a new location since the beginning of this year

“We are the only ones between Venlo and Hoogeveen with storage and transhipment capacity for fruit and veg”

At the beginning of this year, Meijnen transport moved from its old location in Doetinchem to the Edisonstraat in Zevenaar. In the new building, right along the A12, the…

About half will go into the proceedings, in two volumes, ready for May

A record-breaking number of 350 scientific contributions for the Strawberry Symposium

The Strawberry Symposium 2021 will take place in a hybrid edition as previously announced (see Freshplaza of 10/06/2020), from 1-5 May 2021. But the big news is that the…

Port of Antwerp:

Record container throughput limits losses in 2020

The total throughput of Port of Antwerp in 2020 amounted to 231 million metric tonnes of cargo, a fall of 3.1% compared with the previous year. Thanks to the buoyant container…

Packed on plantations in Ecuador

SIIM and IFCO launch Extra Sweet Terrasol pineapples in IFCO crates

After the success of the banana in 2018 and a test phase launched by SIIM and IFCO 6 months ago, SIIM will now be offering to its European clients, packaging in IFCO crates…

"Good sales season and organic apples all year round"

The VOG Consortium’s run-down plan is proceeding smoothly and feedback on crop quality is very good. The increased availability of organic apples will allow demand from…

Dutch haulier, Van Duijn Transport, turns 75

A third generation works at the Dutch family business, Van Duijn Transport. This company's trucks have been on the road since 1946. And during that time, transportation has…

Supermarket chain on expansion course

Tegut benefits from organic range and expansion

Supermarket chain Tegut continues to benefit from its large organic range and intends to continue its expansion course this year.Last year, revenues grew by…

Sara Kuijer, Skal, the Netherlands:

"New organics regulation does permit selling of loose organic produce"

Suzanne van der Pijll recently wrote an article about 'organics returning to plastic'. She is from Schuttelaar & Partners, which is a Dutch communication…

Helping the food supply chain to find critical workers

The newly launched, Association of Labour Providers ‘Extra Workers Needed Portal’ supports the food supply chain to address critical worker shortages. A short demonstration…

New Easyfresh logistics hotspot in Moerdijk (NL) will connect with 220 countries and territories worldwide

FrigoBreda (Easyfresh co-owners) is currently working hard on the construction of a coldstore in the port of Moerdijk. The distribution centre will be equipped…

UK: Potato packing trade remains relatively strong

A slow start to the month for free-buy trade, has left a feeling of the ‘January blues’ across many sectors. Packers continue to meet demand primarily on…

European retailers might have to alter supply chains Post-Brexit

European retailers may have to adapt their supply chains as a result of the Brexit trade deal, requiring extra investments and expenses. According to Fitch…

Snow in Spain leads to UK salad shortages

On top of the widespread disruption caused by Brexit and Covid, now even the weather seems to be conspiring against UK consumers and supermarkets. The supply…

Potato fraud exposed in Bulgaria

The National Potato Growers Association has warned consumers that for several months now, large food chains and vegetable exchanges in Bulgaria are selling German and French potatoes…

Traffic at Dunkirk port seriously affected by pandemic

In 2020, the port of Dunkirk’s annual traffic reached 45.2 million tons, dropping sharply by 14% compared with 2019 (52.6 million tons). The current pandemic…

"Spain is one of the countries that consumes the most kiwi per capita"

The Asturian council of Piloña is home to one of the largest kiwi plantations in the principality. "We produce more than 200 tons in the 10 hectares that we…

Prices of Turkish tomatoes down in Ukraine

After the New Year, prices of imported tomatoes from Turkey have dropped rapidly in Ukraine. The main reason for this was the accumulation of a large number of…

BMEL: Eggs, fruit and vegetables still most popular

Organic goods continue to boom, thanks in part to the 'organic' label

n 2020, consumers made more conscious and targeted purchases. In doing so, they have placed a higher value on regionality and ecological production. Among other things, the…

Salamita was Dutch cooperative's first Southern European supplier

It's Tarocco time now. These beautifully colored semi-blood oranges never go completely red like other blood oranges. They remain red/orange. How red they go depends on how…

Table grapes: 10,000 tons mainly intended for exports remain in Moldovan storages

At least 10,000 tons of table grapes remain in the warehouses of Moldovan agricultural producers and traders. According to the National Association of Table…

The EC has a new opportunity to try to eliminate or suspend US tariffs

The change of Administration in the United States represents a new opportunity for the European Commission (EC) to try to eliminate, or at least suspend, the…

Fewer fresh fruits and veg available, both in Spain and for export to Europe

European fruit and vegetable prices up due to Storm Filomena

Although many growers are calling the wet and cold weather brought by Storm Filomena ‘a blessing,’ the low temperatures and heavy rain have led to a surge in…

Russian Federation extends food import ban for another year

President Putin recently signed a decree extending Russia’s ban on import of agricultural products from countries that applied economic sanctions against…

AVA-ASAJA

"Government and the EU must stop speculation of funds in the agricultural sector"

On January 13, AVA-Asaja presented the Agricultural Balance of 2020; a year in which important capital operations have been carried out in the agricultural…

Prices up as Ukrainian apple stocks nearly depleted

Since the start of this week, Ukrainian producers have been receiving more and more messages about completing sales of residual batches of Gala apples.…

Overview of the effects of the winter weather in Andalusia

UPA Andalusia has made an initial estimate of the damage that storm Filomena and the cold wave had on Andalusia's countryside. Eastern Andalusia has been hit…

EC recommendations for Spain's CAP Strategic Plan promise greater competitiveness

In December, the European Commission published its recommendations for each member state to contribute to the development of their strategic plans for the…

DOWNS

New DOWNS CropVision: ‘A new generation optical grader for unwashed potatoes’

January 12 saw the launch of the new DOWNS CropVision by manufacturer Dubrulle DOWNS. The company calls the machine “a new generation optical grader for unwashed potatoes“.…

Udapa

Dveloped by Neiker - Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development

Spain: Beltza potato put onto the market

Late last year, the Udapa cooperative from Spain’s Alava province has launched the Beltza potato, a new variety created and registered by Neiker, which stands out for its…

"We expect to start harvesting in the first or second week of February with the best Brix level"

Strong demand for popular Australian table grape brand despite early season challenges

A Victorian table grape producer admits that it may be a challenging season after some unfavourable weather conditions over the past few weeks and the labour shortage…

Seven strategies to increase cherry profitability

Back in 2012, Cravo teamed up with Dr. Greg Lang from Michigan State University to help develop strategies for improving the profitability of sweet cherry production using…

Chile’s grape volumes are up and seeing good quality

The grape season in Chile is off to a strong start. “We started in Mid-December in Copiapó,” says Nicolas Damm of Rio Blanco. “That farm finished up last week and now we have…

Meal kits and home cooking help move herbs

Both supply and demand of cooking herbs is strong and it looks to stay that way for the near future. Herb supplies should see strong production through to summer. “The weather…

Lack of foodservice demand pressures Brussels sprouts market

Supplies of Brussels sprouts are normal though the lack of foodservice demand is still affecting the market. Tony Wisdom of Skagit Valley Farms and Valley Pride Sales in…

10 year anniversary of Truval Conference Pears in China

On January 22nd, 2011 BFV and Dole China held a joint official opening ceremony in Shanghai to receive the very first container of Truval Conference Pears – the very first…

Pineapple trade boom and bust

Costa Rica’s boom crop of the last 20 years has, as predicted, seen a sharp downturn in consumption, accelerated dramatically by the Covid crisis of 2020. This is not the…

Nature’s Pride Foundation and GAIN join forces to put workforce nutrition into the spotlight

At the start of the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, as designated by the UN General Assembly, The Nature’s Pride Foundation (NPF) and the Global Alliance for…

Texas Tech researcher examines COVID-19 impact on fruit and vegetable production

Stephen Devadoss collaborated with other researchers to explore the pandemic’s effects on farm labor force and its influence on production.At the outset of the…

"The production that wasn't affected by the hail is healthy has a good size"

Argentine pear harvest begins in the Valley with good prospects

Some farmers from the Valley began harvesting pears last week. The season starts with good expectations despite the global health context. If all goes well,…

IQonsulting

Crop and Export Report 2021, Week 2

Chile: 9,396 tons of blueberries exported during Week 1

The harvests continue to be focused in the south central zone in the mid-season varieties and beginning the late ones. These regions continue to provide the highest export…

Georgia: Fresh fruit and vegetable sales increased during quarantine

The Nikora supermarket chain, that has been operating on the market since 2000, is the largest chain in Georgia in terms of the number of stores. The company…

Pangasinan province

Armyworms attack onion fields in northwest Philippines

Armyworms have damaged crops on at least 700 hectares of onion farms in Pangasinan province, which has resulted in reduced production and prices going up since…

Eating fruit to combat cardiovascular problems in men

A recent study of more than 25,000 men -published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition- pointed to the added benefits of consuming fruit in men of all…

FAA issues first fully automated flight authorization

Drones capable of watering cabbages without human intervention

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is still developing rules on the use of drones, but individual companies are gradually getting some kind of license. Now, the FAA for…

Retail

Dreamstime

Midcounties Co-op has reported a positive performance over the Christmas period

Despite supermarket closures DIA maintains turnover

SPAR Spain continued expansion and modernisation in fourth quarterSupport for local communities continued with investment in new stores and refurbishment by SPAR Spain…

FreshPlaza Funny

The power of music!