Thursday, November 5, 2020
EUROPE

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Farm Manager - Ethiopia

Greenhouse Construction Manager - California (United States)

Grower (Leafy Greens) - Arizona, California, or Nevada (United States)

Head Grower Manager - Avon Facility (OH) USA

Lead Glasshouse Engineer - Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Laborant - Bleiswijk

Farm Manager - India

Maintenance Technician - Peats Ridge, Australia

Candidates for Vice-President Operations - Ottawa (Ontario) Canada

European Export Sales Manager (Asia Market)

Bernd Bodiselitsch (Imprint LLC) on labelling fraud

"Price differences can make falsification of geographical origin profitable"

A few weeks ago there was a million-dollar fraud case in the Austrian fruit trade: 460 tons of apples of Czech origin were offered on the market as Austrian goods. Imprint…

Poland heading for stricter measures against the coronavirus

“The new lockdown will definitely have an effect on our apple season”

Poland is heading into a strict lockdown by the end of the month, if the amount of covid-cases does not go down before then. Naturally this will have an effect on the apple…

Nicoló Sparacino, Biofruit Trading:

"When it is 25°C out, you go to the beach. You are not picking oranges"

The European citrus season is slowly gaining momentum. The warm weather in Italy is still delaying deliveries, but soon it should really start to get going, says Nicoló…

Giulia Ingino of Agem Frutta

The quality of the chestnuts is assured by the artisan workmanship

For the first time in ten years it promises to be a good chestnut season again. The Italian chestnut production, especially that from the Campania region, is flourishing…

Moroccan snack tomatoes as good as Dutch ones

The new Dutch snack tomato import season began recently. The first batches were already on the market in September. These were brought in by, among others, DOOR/Prominent. The…

Francesc Llonch, of Gavà Grup:

"This year, the drop in tomato production is becoming more noticeable"

The acreage devoted to tomatoes in Almería has been reduced again, thereby continuing the downward trend of recent years. The increase in production costs, the impact of pests…

Martijn Vogelaar (Fruvo) tempers pear market expectations

"High expectations often lead to disappointment"

It's the end of September and Martijn Vogelaar of Fruvo notes that the pear market is under pressure. Fruvo is a Dutch company that's active in the cultivation and marketing…

UK lockdown a blow to South African baby veg and flower exports

In terms of the South African fresh produce industry, the UK's new lockdown will have the largest effect on the exports of baby veg and flowers, both edible flowers and cut…

Taiwan authorizes and accepts the audit of Italian inspectors for the export of apples

Since October 28, the Taiwanese market has officially opened its doors to Italian apples for the 2020/21 season. The protocol signed last year with the Taipei authorities…

Slightly less citrus production overall

World Citrus Organisation (WCO) presents annual Northern Hemisphere production forecast

The WCO Secretariat has released its first crop production forecast for the forthcoming Northern Hemisphere citrus season 2020-21. The preliminary forecast is collected from…

Special Wholesale markets

Vernon Mascarenhas - Nature’s Choice.

2nd lock down will be very different from the first - then Brexit

England will go into a second lock down on Thursday and things for the fresh produce sector will be very different than first time round, the duration of the lock down is…

Global focus citrus

North American lemon supplies moving into mostly domestic production

Supplies of lemons remain strong as the import period of the fruit winds down. “There are some limited supplies from Chile, Argentina and Mexico on the market but those will…

Edwin van Leeuwen, Yex, the Netherlands

“Mangos and avocados swop around in autumn"

At the beginning of October, Edwin van Leeuwen saw both mango and avocado prices rise. Edwin is the Dutch company, Yex’s, Commercial Manager. “In the summer,…

Dipilato

Snack melons weighing 350 grams

The new snack melons available from Dipilato weigh 350-400 grams on average and fit in the palm of your hand. "Thanks to their organoleptic qualities and reduced size, they are ideal…

Christiaan van der Goes, GreenGoose, the Netherlands

Should sweet potatoes be sorted before or after they’re exported?

A sweet potato sorting machine on the European continent. At the time of writing, it was a first. In March this year, the Dutch company, GreenGoose, acquired this grading…

Dr André Jooste - Potatoes South Africa

Outgoing chief executive hails the potato growers of South Africa

Dr André Jooste, an agricultural economist who joined Potatoes South Africa eight years ago as chief executive officer, is leaving the organisation at the end of the month for…

Rick van t’Hag, Cargorilla, the Netherlands

"Customized transport plan for your temperature-controlled goods within 30 mins"

An extra shipment of mangos needs to be sent quickly. A Scandinavian client suddenly wants another entire load of flowers and plants. Or a pallet of garlic has to be flown to…

TT Remarkable broad line deep red tomatoes Axia is ready for the market

In the last years there has been a development in tomato breeding, in which breeders want to add some 'old-fashioned' perception to the new varieties. At Axia Vegetable Seeds,…

Kees Stoop, RoDeKo:

"Hopefully it won't be a repeat of last year's dismal cabbage season"

The Dutch red and white cabbage harvest is currently well underway. Kees Stoop of RoDeKo, expects this year's yields to be slightly lower than last year.…

Italy still behind when it comes to varietal innovation

When producers decide to cultivate a species, they must also decide which variety to focus on, usually the most suitable for their needs and crop conditions.…

SATGARDEN exclusively offers The Climate Box services in the Iberian Peninsula

Innovative technology for frost control arrives in Spain

Due to climate change, agricultural producers are dealing with high climatic variability that is leading to production losses and low product quality. A very important problem…

Season kicks off for the Kissabel® Rouge

The harvesting of the red flesh varieties ended a few days ago in the Northern Hemisphere: around one month from the harvest of the orange and yellow varieties, now Kissabel®…

Brazil led detections last month

EU pest interceptions in citrus imports up to October increased by 66%

After the data regarding the month of October became public, LA UNIÓ de Llauradors reported that EU rejections of citrus fruits imports from third countries,…

MAX-FRESH project sorts fresh fruit and vegetables

Current supply chains for fresh produce, unfortunately, are still inefficient, as up to one-third of fruit and vegetables can be lost or wasted before reaching…

Rüdiger Hackel, Marktfrisch Lausitz LLC

"If we want regionality, we must not only market the most beautiful goods"

Marktfrisch is the only regional wholesaler for fruit and vegetables in Oberlausitz. The company has been supplying supermarkets, stores, canteens and restaurants with fresh,…

Buss Capital Invest, Hamburg

German investors launch container leasing bond plan

Hamburg-based company Buss Capital Invest has announced the launch of its first registered bond in the container leasing field. Via this “Interest 2021” offer,…

Izak Heijboer

Hungarian apples becoming very expensive for consumers

An incentive program has been launched in Hungary, as fewer and fewer people are buying the most popular domestic fruit. According to many, one of the reasons…

Irish Farmers' Association

Irish Farmers' Association - Domestic Potato Market Report

Lifting progress estimated at over 75% - some parts of Ireland are well behind

Potato liftings continue across Ireland, with some more growers finishing this week. Lifting progress is estimated to be over 75% but some parts of the country are well…

Marjet Lubbers

Russia’s vegetable production has grown by 6%

According to the operational data of the regional governing bodies of the agro-industrial complex, as of October 27, 2020, about 5.3 million tons of vegetables…

Rudolf Mulderij

Imported potatoes dominate the Moldovan market

According to the estimates of Moldovan potato growers voiced in the media, the share of domestic products in October at best accounts for a third of the trade…

Spanish pepper exports have been record-breaking

Spanish pepper exports have reached unprecedented figures in the 2019/2020 campaign with the sale of 869.62 million kilos worth 1,199.02 million Euro, at an…

New Persimmon kaki campaign kicks off in Spanish Region of Valencia

The president of the Region of Valencia, Ximo Puig, was present at the official launch of the Rojo Brillante Kaki campaign; a fruit exclusively grown under the…

January-August 2020

The EU, Norway and Switzerland account for 96% of all Spanish fruit and vegetable exports

According to data from the General Directorate of Customs, between January and August of this year, 96% of all Spanish fresh fruit and vegetable exports went to the EU, Norway…

UK: Increased potato sales offset Covid-19 losses

Red meat, dairy and potatoes have all fared well throughout Covid-19, with spending on groceries offsetting losses from food service closures during lockdown…

Deseacrop

European project demonstrates the viability of using desalinated water in tomato cultivation in Almería

Growing higher quality tomatoes with desalinated water is already possible, as demonstrated by the European project Life Deseacrop (Desalinated seawater for…

Trops and Vodafone launch a precision agriculture project in Spain

Smart mango harvesting through 5G

The Agrarian Transformation Society (SAT) Trops and Vodafone have launched a pilot project to provide mango harvesting machines with artificial intelligence so…

UK: Essex grower close to producing exotic fruit

Essex grower Peter Thompson has been given a Special Merit Award from the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, recognising recent trials on expanding his cropping…

Looking into mushrooms to solve the Vitamin D crisis

The human body is designed to get vitamin D from sunshine, but in the winter months this is much harder to achieve, certainly in the UK. With more local…

National Fruit Show award

UK: Jazz named tastiest apple for fourth year in a row

At this year’s National Fruit Show, Jazz has been named the UK’s tastiest apple for the fourth year in a row. It is the sixth time in eight years that the…

Mattina Fresh

Australian stone fruit producer gearing up for a very strong summer season

One of Australia's largest producers of stone fruit began sales of its new brand, which has started with the early apricots going to market this week. Mattina Fresh's Mogadore…

Production of various apple varieties in China severely reduced

This year, areas such as Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu experienced high volumes of rainfall, which has induced a serious case of black and red spots and water spots on the apple peel…

Idaho potato harvest saw average yields and good quality

Supplies of potatoes out of Idaho are solid. “The yields were good. It wasn’t necessarily a bumper crop but it was average yields,” says Ryan Wahlen of Pleasant Valley Potato…

First shipments of Peruvian and Brazilian grapes currently on the water

While the first shipments of Peruvian and Brazilian grapes are currently on the water, the California grape season should extend through the end of the year. The Central San…

PMA virtual town hall

How the US election outcome may influence and impact policy for the produce industry

This week’s virtual town hall examined the impact of the 2020 elections on the fresh produce and floral industries, with a specific focus on policy implications. Richard Owen,…

Bem Brasil goes for PEF system

Bem Brasil is a potato processor and manufacturer of frozen French fries in Brazil. ELEA GmbH, a supplier of Pulsed Electric Field systems for food processing, has supplied a…

November 25th

Hazel Tech® to host first annual Mango Quality Summit

Hazel Technologies Inc., a USDA-funded technology company delivering new solutions for fresh produce to extend shelf-life, increase sales, and fight food…

International Coordinator Dr. Ikechi Agbugba

“Food distribution within Africa is harder than export to Europe, Americas”

In Africa, food security is a major problem, despite the projection that the continent can feed the nine billion people that will inhabit the planet by 2050.…

Blueberry season forecast 2020

Argentina to focus on organic blueberries and increasing shipping by sea

ABC provides ongoing information on estimated volumes broken out by week, arrival date, market and via. During the season, from September to December, Weekly Crop Reports are…

The banana sector seeks to recover the ground lost in the Swiss market since 2014

The trade agreement between Ecuador and EFTA has already entered into force

The trade agreement between Ecuador and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), will allow 99% of the products that Ecuador exports to enter Liechtenstein, Norway,…

Looking into Chinese market

Cuban growers allowed to start exporting products

Grower Lazaro Rafael Fundora, who runs a farm in the Cuban province of Mayabeque, became the first Cuban farmer to sell products abroad over the past six…

Trying to stem unauthorised plantings

Zespri considers partnership with Chinese kiwi growers

While New Zealand growers pay hundreds of thousands of dollars per hectare to grow the Sun Gold, or G3 kiwifruit variety and Zespri is continuously looking at…

Pakistan

Sindh growers worried over onion export ban

Sindh growers are worried over the voluntarily ban on onion exports by the province’s fruit and vegetable exporters. They claim such a ban would not be…

Peruvian orange exports grew by 57% in value and 37% in volume

According to a report by Fresh Fruit, Peru exported 25,713 tons of oranges for 11 million dollars between January 1 and October 26, which represents a 37%…

South Africa’s agricultural exporters averted a Covid disaster

Some quick thinking and rapid adjustments achieved by South Africa’s agricultural industry meant that several agricultural products were not only able to…

Retail

Sainsbury's: 3,500 job cuts and about 420 standalone Argos stores to close

M&S: First loss in 94 years

Delhaize has growth ambitions in LuxembourgDelhaize, already number two in the market, sees growth potential in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Today, the supermarket group has…

FreshPlaza Funny

Perhaps better to keep it there permanently?