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Thursday, January 14, 2021
EUROPE

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

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

Greenhouse grower / production manager

Madlen Miserius about Fruit Logistica Special Edition 2021

"This new concept of Fruit Logistica Special Edition is our plan B”

Normally in January the whole of the fresh produce sector would be preparing to head to Berlin for Fruit Logistica. This year everything is different and the Fruit Logistica…

Job Offers:

Junior Quality Control Technician

Euro Gijbels and Verfru Europe react from Tarragona, Spain

“Since the weather in Spain has become extreme, the demand for our vegetables has doubled”

Euro Gijbels has a farm in Tarragona, Spain. There too, it's pretty cold. "We haven't had any snow, but it's been quite cold. Temperatures are around freezing point," says…

Egyptian pumpkin season underway

“We’ve had an extraordinarily strong start to the pumpkin season”

Demand for pumpkins has increased steadily over the past few years, with consumers finding more ways to include pumpkins in their diet and recipes. The Egyptian pumpkin season…

Polina Valkanova, Special Fruit:

"Cold weather in Huelva has caused some delays in strawberry production"

"The Spanish strawberry season started earlier than usual. The first small volumes arrived at the end of November / beginning of December because more was planted in pots,”…

Alberto Casanova, from Frutas Manzano, on Spanish subtropics:

"We are lucky to have a niche product that not many producers grow"

The Costa Tropical of Granada and part of the Axarquía of Malaga concentrate most of the area destined for the cultivation of cherimoyas in Spain, which has now established…

A productive year and a quite good demand

It promises to be a good spring for the mushroom sector

"The year 2021 has not started badly for the mushroom sector and an increase in demand is expected by spring, close to the Easter vacations. Yields have been promising so far.…

Egyptian citrus season in full swing, Valencia starting shortly

“Issues in various markets mean we’ll have opportunities to reach new markets”

As it is the start of a new year, it is certain that most Egyptian fruit exporters have their hands full on the citrus season. The Valencia season is coming up, and every…

Things starting to go back to normal at Mercamadrid, with reactivation of fruit and vegetable transport

"We knew it would snow, but we didn't expect anything close to this"

Mercamadrid, the second largest wholesale market in the world and the first in Europe, is recovering its activity after having been closed from Saturday to Monday as a result…

European demand for Italian clementines on the up after frost hits Spain

A positive start of the week for a few clementine traders after a few difficult days when prices and consumption were really low. "We have noticed an increase in orders from…

Gines Navarro, from Agridemur:

"There will be a limited supply of lettuce throughout January"

Last week's rains, low temperatures, and frosts in Murcia have limited the supply and increased the prices of lettuce and leafy vegetables. "We started the year with temperatures…

Special Latin America

Slimmer volumes on imported mango

Mango supplies in North America are currently light. “They’re coming in from Peru right now and early crop numbers are fairly light due to weather,” says Rick Nagelberg of…

Global Focus Grapes

Antar Douadi - BIOPAC

"Stored at 0 degrees we can achieve up to 100 days shelf life, depending on varieties,"

There are various options available on the market to extend the shelf life and keep table grapes fresh. One company has combined two methods and can store grapes in very good…

Kenya specialist Stella Rasmussen on the current situation

"Closure of gastronomy sector and high air freight charges affect Kenyan fruit exports"

The Kenyan export industry was brought to a substantial standstill in the wake of the Corona pandemic. Due to the lack of air freight capacity and correspondingly high freight…

Kuku International Packaging

New plastic-free crate cover

Kuku International Packaging, a company located in Palata Pepoli (BO) and specializing in flexible packaging, has introduced a new crate cover made up of natural elements (95%…

efko and Vitana present new product line

Crisp winter lettuce from Austria in CO2-neutral packaging

The market for ultra-fresh salad and vegetable convenience products is growing rapidly. More and more Austrians are turning to the convenient ready-to-eat products. Very…

International demand for special solutions for kosher washing

There are already several washing lines in use around the world that are specially adapted to the requirements of kosher washing. An additional washing line is now being…

Sennder raises $160m to accelerate digitalization of European trucking and drive expansion

Sennder, a digital road freight forwarder, today announced that it has raised $160m in Series D financing, surpassing a $1bn valuation. New investors led the round, which…

VOG partners with Sustainapple, the South Tyrolean Apple Consortium's sustainability strategy

Consisting of three action areas and a binding schedule, it is designed to effectively and systematically pursue sustainability. Following a multi-year process, South Tyrolean…

Bejo/De Groot en Slot introduces the Innovator

First Downy mildew resistant seed shallot on the market

Dutch companies, Bejo/De Groot en Slot, can now introduce the first Downy mildew resistant seed shallot - the Innovator. This is after years of breeding. This hybrid variety…

Tomato receives seal of approval "Taste of the year"

Spanish consumer award for Sweet Palermo... again

For the second year in a row, Spanish consumers have awarded Sweet Palermo, the dulce Italiano of Rijk Zwaan, with the "Taste of the Year" seal of approval. After putting…

Jan 22, free CASCADE webinar

How to adapt light in raspberry cultivation to increase yields?

CASCADE, a leading French technology company specialized in the development of formulations for different types of macro tunnel covers with unique light control…

Howard Hansen - Hansen Orchards

Tasmanian cherry harvest is going really well so far

The Tasmanian cherry harvest is going really well so far at Hansen Orchards with a full crop and good packouts. “We have harvested around 25% of the crop so far,” explains…

Hamburg wholesale market: Increased demand for regional vegetables

"Fresh produce supply secure, even under current conditions"

Despite Corona, tons of fruit and vegetables continue to be handled at the Hamburg wholesale market. "The supply of fresh goods is assured, even under current conditions,"…

InVivo considers acquisition of French agribusiness Soufflet

Yesterday, Cooperative group InVivo issued a statement saying that it has entered exclusive talks to acquire family-controlled Soufflet. Should these talks be…

IDeA Agro and Agrintesa partner for production of SunGold yellow kiwi

IDeA Agro has partnered with Agrintesa Cooperativa Agricola to launch an agricultural development operation that involves the construction of a new plant of…

Tong pushes forward with second phase of new factory build

Tong Engineering is delighted to announce the go-ahead for construction of the second phase development at its new manufacturing facility in Spilsby. As part of a planned…

Dreamstime.om

‘Brexit trade agreement unworkable for UK supermarkets’

UK supermarkets call for intervention to ensure supplies to Northern Ireland

Major supermarkets in the UK have warned the government that ‘urgent intervention’ is necessary to prevent significant disruption to Northern Ireland food supplies over the…

Lenneke Pors-Schot

Romania produced slightly over 2 million tons of potatoes in 2020

In 2020, Romania's potato production exceeded the 2 million tons, but was 21% smaller than in the previous year, when 2.62 million tons were harvested,…

Russian retailer Magnit delivering imported fruits to Moscow by rail

Russian retail network "Magnit", working together with MAERSK, has launched a quicker system to transport and deliver imported fruits and vegetables from…

Daan Sturm

Onion acreage in Russia reduced by 26% in ten years

According to Rosstat, in 2019, the acreage devoted to onion cultivation in Russia stood at 59.5 thousand hectares; 3.7% less than in 2018. Compared to 2010,…

Do citrus fruit have a future in Spain?

Over the last 25 years, citrus production in Spain has grown by 50%, from 5,000,000 tons to the current 7,500,000 tons, but during that period there have been…

Government, farmers' employers and unions negotiating measures against COVID-19

Concerns ahead of the upcoming stone fruit harvest in Catalonia

Unfortunately, the global epidemiological situation in 2021 is not yet under control and everything suggests that the pandemic will continue to be present in…

Prices of lettuce, broccoli, courgettes, peppers and aubergines increasing due to supply problems

Storm Filomena caused €8.4 million worth of damage to crops in Murcia Region

Although Murcia missed the worst of Storm Filomena, there was still significant damage caused to leaf crops, particularly in the 'Alto Guadalentin" area. This…

Russia still main market for Turkish fruits and vegetables in 2020

According to the Head of the Association of Exporters of Vegetables and Fruits of Istanbul, Melisa Tokgez Mutlu, Turkey has set a new record in the exports of…

Ukraine: Continental expands potato acreage and storage capacity

The Continental Farmers Group has announced the start of construction of a new potato storage facility in the village of Chukva in the Sambir district of the…

UK court case underway

Cocaine and heroin worth millions hidden in pallets of fruit and veg

An international drugs gang has attempted to import cocaine and heroin worth millions of pounds hidden in consignments of fruit and vegetables from the Netherlands. Port…

Brits do not do enough to boost immune system

UK research has revealed that only 53% of Brits are strengthening their immune systems with fruits and vegetables. Despite 82% claiming to be actively taking…

Business groups warn that Brexit will increase food supply chain costs

The Food and Drink Federation has warned that the new bureaucratic elements involved with Brexit are likely to increase food supply chain costs. These will…

NSW DPI aiming to strengthen the future of agriculture planning through a proposed land use strategy

The New South Wales Agriculture Commissioner is seeking feedback from farmers and horticulture industry members, after releasing an options paper to improve planning outcomes…

Despite foodservice closures, lettuce sees consistent demand

Lettuce is currently being grown and shipped from the Imperial Valley, Yuma and Coachella districts. For Coastline Family Farms, whose winter headquarters are in Brawley, CA,…

Low volumes predicted for March

Yellow dragon fruit volume to increase in February

The yellow dragon fruit from Palora, Ecuador, has multiple seasonal peaks throughout the year. Currently, the volumes are low, but once February arrives the volumes will…

PMA virtual town hall

How to build a culture of inclusivity in the workplace

This week’s virtual town hall discussed inclusive leadership, and how to leverage diversity and inclusion in your business for success. Doug Bohr, PMA’s Executive Director of…

US retail sales report

2020: A year like no other for the produce department

November and December sales were dominated by the holidays along with the consumers’ response to rapidly rising new Covid-19 cases across many states. Some states and cities…

Eight-week organic blueberry storage trial shows positive results

RipeLocker has completed a trial in which its containers held freshly harvested organic blueberries in pristine condition for eight weeks. In the trial, the company used six…

Robots and new technology in the Japanese food industry

The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) and other bodies have jointly developed the prototype of a robot that automatically harvests…

State government under pressure to allow seasonal workers into Australia

Victoria growers forced to dump $150,000 worth of celery due to labor shortage

Growers in Victoria's Lindenow Valley have had to dump $150,000 worth of celery crops. They were simply unable to harvest the vegetables due to a drastic…

Tips & tricks: How to ripen avocados using an air fryer

An Australian woman has proved how versatile an air fryer can be, using it to help turn a hard avocado into a ripe one. On the Facebook page Air Fryer Recipes…

Fruit labelled 'inferior'

Australian cherries under fire from Chinese state media

Australian cherries have been designated as ‘inferior’ by Chinese state media. They are the most recent Australian export to be targeted by Beijing, with the…

Ethiopia increases focus on horticulture sector competitiveness

Ethiopia has a great opportunity for horticulture development due to its favorable climatic conditions, fertile soils, huge irrigation potential and affordable…

Georgia: Heavy snows delay exports of mandarins to Russia

This week, the Georgian Roads Department published information on the closure of the Gudauri-Kobi section of the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Larsi international…

Ahern Agribusiness is acquired by an Israeli investment group

Ahern Agribusiness, Inc., the main vegetable seed distribution company in Mexico and Central America, announced that it had been acquired by an Israeli…

Market and Crop Update for January 14, 2021

'January Texas onion crop is doing great'

MARKETWashington:Dan Borer with Keystone Fruit Marketing reported on Jan. 12 from his Walla Walla sales office, saying, “It’s a typical January, and we really…

Maersk, freight forwarders and shippers adapt to Damco dissolution

For global shipping, the new year without one of the regular players. After Maersk announced in September it would dissolve the Damco freight forwarder brand by the end of…

Retail

Dreamstime

Just Eat Takeaway delivered almost 180mln meals in Q4

Tesco: Buoyant Christmas trading

Sweden: ICA posts lfl sales growth of 6.6% in December 2020Swedish retailer ICA Gruppen has reported a like-for-like sales growth of 6.6% across its stores in December 2020.…

FreshPlaza Funny

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