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Thursday, December 10, 2020
AFRICA

Our team

Sander Bruins Slot
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Nichola McGregor
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Nick Peters
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Annika Durinck
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Job Offers

Technical Manager - Fresno or Bakersfield (CA) USA

Retail Account Manager Italië

Grower / Head Grower Canada

Maintenance Engineer (CA, USA)

Head of Horticulture - Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

Executive Officer - Brisbane, Australia

European Export Sales Manager (Asia Market)

Greenhouse Manager - Carlisle (PA) USA

Electricians / Irrigation Technicians International Horticultural Projects (USA)

Regional Sales Manager - LED Horticulture / Benelux and France

MEC Ivan Meyer on Gross Domestic Product statistics for agriculture

South Africa: Quarter three GDP results confirm agriculture continues to shine

"I am pleased to note that StatsSA‘s release of South Africa’s third-quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) statistics highlights that the agricultural sector…

New potato variety could be a game-changer for farmers in East Africa

Researchers from the National Agricultural Research Organisation Uganda and the International Potato Center, have developed a new variety of potato which is…

Jan van der Voort, Anaco Greeve, the Netherlands:

"Water shortages and hot summer taking their toll on Moroccan citrus"

The demand for citrus seemed endless in the spring and summer. And the demand for overseas citrus reached an unprecedented level. That demand has now disappeared entirely.…

'80-Acre avocado farm in Tsavo Park sparks outrage'

Photographs have emerged of a massive land clearing in Kenya in preparation for the establishment of a commercial avocado farm right inside the wildlife corridor connecting…

Ashton Valley Fresh

Growth and diversification for an Australian premium fruit juicing company in a challenging year

This year has been a big year of change and diversification for one of Australia's leading premium fruit juice companies. South Australia's Ashton Valley Fresh released three…

Henri Abrieu, Blue Whale Superalp:

"There's a dynamic pear market at the moment"

"The pear market is quite active, at least when it comes to alpine products," says Henri Abrieu, of Blue Whale Superalp. The company, based in Vallée de la Durance, is…

Russia stops tomato imports from various countries

"Detection of Pepino Mosaic virus is due to vaccination of the seeds"

News has come out that Russia will not allow imports of tomatoes from Uzbekistan, Turkey, Armenia, Morocco and some other countries anymore due to detection of the pepino…

Antonio Agizza of Agizza Ciro farm in Falciano del Massico, Caserta

Could the arrival of cold weather boost both consumption and the winter vegetable market?

"The trend for winter vegetables is disappointing and the market is under the influence of the weather, with prices below average compared to other years. Demand is not…

New proposals from Zanarini

Potatoes upgrade both in packaging and offering

"We want to treat high-quality potatoes as if they were cookies, and that's why they are packed in beautiful cardboard boxes that are also appealing to the eye," said Matteo…

Good supplies but demand shifts for North America oranges

Domestic supplies of oranges are good and improving as the season gets going. In California, Keith Wilson with Cecelia Packing Corporation in Orange Cove, CA notes that the…

Special Year Overview

Year Overview 2020 - May

In May of 2020 some of the European countries were able to leave lockdown status, bringing back some opportunities for the catering sector and the likes. It was also the month…

Global Focus Exotic/Tropical Fruit

Exotic items such as calabaza see increased demand

Supplies of calabaza are good and prices are currently strong. Alan Goldberg of A&B Tropical Produce in Miami, FL notes that supplies generally come from Costa Rica. “I think…

BLE market report KW 49:

'Local Elstar, Jonagold and Boskoop available primarily'

Native apples dominated as usual. Elstar, Jonagold and Boskoop were available primarily, while the presence of Fuji increased continuously. Nicoter appeared in Berlin, costing…

Koen Merkus (Fresh Forward) about the upcoming Calinda strawberry season

"The Calinda's traits break away from the Spanish strawberry stereotype"

The new Spanish Calinda strawberry season is about to start. "We should export some 30.000 tons of Calinda strawberries to North-West Europe next season. That's roughly 20%…

Bertus Schipper, Zoutewelle, the Netherlands:

"Renewed demand on melon market, after some tough weeks"

The European melon market has been terrible recently. But, demand has been picking up for most varieties in the past two weeks. "The low prices are partly due to Brazil having sent…

First report of Curvularia lunata on bananas in Pakistan

Banana fruits infected with rot disease were collected from the local market of Lahore, Pakistan. The observed symptoms were dry, decayed, sunken lesions with dark grey to…

Virtual New York Produce Show kicks off with retailer perspective on 2020

The virtual edition of the New York Produce Show kicked off yesterday, December 9th, and will run through Friday December 11th. The show consists of general sessions in the…

Barcelona mayor Ada Colau inaugurates Mercabarna's Biomarket

On December 9, the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, was in Mercabarna to inaugurate the Biomarket, the first wholesale market for fresh organic food in Spain and also the…

PMA virtual town hall

How precision nutrition can drive produce marketing

This week’s virtual town hall focused on precision nutrition. “This is a customizable approach to dietary management by providing tailored nutritional advice,” explains Max…

The main focus is to help eradicating hunger and poverty through better packaging

Pierre Pienaar sets the goals for his three year term as President of World Packaging Organization

Elected in May this year, during Interpack, the Australian Pierre Pienaar has announced his goals as the new President of WPO during the Board Meeting of 2017,…

Calderoni

Organic grass cutting now possible with self-leveling disc

The use of herbicides is more and more considered as a last resort, as the public opinion considers them as the "root of all evil". Mechanical weeding is therefore becoming…

PMA Australia-New Zealand

Food safety more of a focus for consumers than packaging sustainability in COVID-19 affected year

The COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily shifted consumers' views when it comes to the priority of sustainability in fruit and vegetable packaging, according to Produce Marketing…

The Greenery and TreeQuattro join forces to expand Sweet Sensation acreage

The Sweet Sensation pear is gaining with European retailers each year. That's why The Greenery wants to gradually expand the Sweet Sensation acreage by approximately 200…

Russian roadmap for fruit and berry industry development

Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko has approved a roadmap for the accelerated development of fruit and berry production in Russia until 2023. The…

Tomatoes offer affordable source of Parkinson’s disease drug

Scientists have produced a tomato enriched in the Parkinson’s disease drug L-DOPA in what could become a new, affordable source of one of the world’s essential…

Organto to acquire Fresh Organic Choice BV

Organto Foods Inc., a provider of organic and value-added organic fruits and vegetables, today announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent (“LOI”) to…

Blueberry app to help growers battle diseases and pests

A new University of Florida app will help the state’s blueberry growers identify and manage disease and insect injuries commonly encountered in Florida before their crop is…

CEO Organics Unlimited receives global award

Organics Unlimited, CEO and president Mayra Velazquez de León has been named the 2020 Global Trade Ambassador – Mexico award recipient from Women in International Trade – Los…

Russian bans import of Armenian tomatoes, peppers over Pepino Mosaic Virus

The Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) announced on Wednesday it would ban import of tomatoes and peppers…

Organic Grower Roundtable highlights bright spots and challenges

Leaders from three organic fresh produce companies agree that the outlook for the organic industry is positive heading into the new year, as they explored a…

Chilean cherries are about to enter Chinese Xinfadi Market in large volumes

This is the time of year when Chilean cherries are air-freighted to the Chinese market. The supply volume is relatively small and the price is high. The supply…

Malaysia: High court delays decision on Durian farms

A group of more than 200 durian farmers in Pahang, who are part of an ongoing legal dispute against a private corporation looking to take over their farms, won…

Video Smart irrigation technique

Some crops need a lot of water to grow. There are different kinds of irrigation options, but we haven't seen this one before! Smart solution!

La Unió made a call to diversify Castellon's mandarin supply

Castellon's citrus industry is in dire need of a varietal reconversion

La Unió de Llauradors i Ramaders has made a call to address a citrus varietal diversification in the province of Castellon, where 60% of the mandarins grown…

Murcia, Spain

Study on the behavior of 8 early apricot varieties in Campo de Cartagena

The Council of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Environment of the Spanish Region of Murcia has been developing a project to study the behavior of…

Kakis are not just for eating, they can also be drunk

Los Cervecéuticos, a company based in the Spanish municipality of Xàtiva and specialized in so-called signature beers, has just launched a new beer in tribute…

Turkish exporters call for lifting of quotas on tomato sales to Russia

In a statement, the associations said it was “not possible” to understand the reason behind the quota on tomato imports from Turkey, as Moscow does not apply…

Managing COVID-19 risks in the citrus industry

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed so much. SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is primarily transmitted person-to-person, with no evidence it is transmitted by…

Onions: market and crop update for December 10, 2020

Washington:Matt Murphy with L&M Cos. in Raleigh, NC, told us on Dec. 9 that everyone is in the traditional “Thanksgiving Hangover” mode this week. “We’ve seen…

Retail

Dreamstime

Sainsbury’s has created 12,000 seasonal roles

Ocado: Earnings outlook raised again on strong trading

Pandamart to expand across Malaysia bringing groceries and fresh produce in under 20 minutesPandamart recently held a virtual tour of one of their 25 Pandamart dark stores…

FreshPlaza Funny

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