GLOBAL MARKET OVERVIEW STRAWBERRIES

As spring reaches the Northern Hemisphere, the strawberry markets in various countries enter new phases too. In the Netherlands, the shift from Spanish…

Has banana pricing hit its peak?

Supplies of bananas are improving. That’s a very good thing says Anthony Serafino of Exp Group, LLC. “Supply has been pretty strong but it’s going to improve going into the…

Central Mexico ending strawberry season on strong note

Supplies of strawberries from Central Mexico are coming to the end of the season. “The industry has pushed central Mexico certainly later than what…

Easy Harvest iceberg lettuce conducive to both mechanical and hand harvest

About five years ago, Davie Brooks and Jon Nickerson with Greengo Seed started working on the development of iceberg lettuce that could be harvested…

Date brand focuses on increased presence in Canada

Medjool date brand Natural Delights® returns to CPMA this year with award-winning products and a successful Canadian marketing program in tow. For the…

California potato season kicks off

Progressive Produce, a grower/packer/shipper of fresh produce, is excited to announce the start of its California potato season. Despite some weather…

Mintec

March almond shipments set new record

The Almond Board of California March position report shows that March shipments reached 281.07 million pounds, up 14.7% year-on-year. This is a record…

ASOEX and US representatives analyze Systems Approach advances for Chilean table grapes

The Chilean table grape sector continues to eagerly wait for the US to approve the implementation of the Systems Approach for table grape exports,…

Sustainability compliance topic of newest OPS 2023 ed session

As more retail organizations request sustainability information from their suppliers, opportunities exist to bring buyers and producers together using…

Record wet winter and planting delays will affect Californian tomatoes

For California's tomato crop, the delay in planting caused by this winter's record precipitation could have a nationwide ripple effect as the state grows more…

Michoacan's grapefruit production increased by 5% in 2022

According to data from the Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP), Michoacan produced 85,848 tons of grapefruit last year, i.e. 5% more than the…

Delivering the best of Chile's cherries:

The critical role of an integrated cold chain for export success

What could be better, more special, more festive, and more delicious than plump and luscious red cherries for a holiday? In China, cherries have increasingly…

Lamb Weston Holdings announces appointment of Mike Smith as Chief Operating Officer

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. announced the appointment of Mike Smith as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, effective May 29, 2023. Smith will continue to…

Governor Hochul announces new initiative to double buying power for SNAP recipients at farmers' markets

Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a new initiative that will double the buying power for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients at farmers'…

Strawberry plantings on the rise to keep up with increased US demand

Strawberries enjoy one of the highest household penetration levels in the US among fresh fruits. They also have the highest per capita consumption in the berry…

United Potato Canada

April 2023 holding reports

Total Canadian potato storage holdings April 1 are up 3.1% over 2022 numbers

Total Canadian Potato Storage Holdings on April 1, 2023 are up 3.1% over 2022 numbers for the same period. They are well over the 3-yr. average for the…

Blue Diamond Growers

California’s largest almond cooperative streamlines supply chain

California provides 80% of the world’s almond supply, but these volumes have to be able to be transported around the world. As the pandemic disrupted the…

Rick Scott and Scott Franklin going to bat for Florida citrus on Capitol Hill

This week, US Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and US Rep. Scott Franklin (R-Fla.) held a roundtable on Florida’s citrus industry. Scott and Franklin met with the…

HLB-tolerant Donaldson tree might help hard-hit Florida citrus growers

Due to a combination of factors, including a destructive tropical season in 2022, citrus production in Florida dropped to levels not seen since World War II.…

Del Monte Fresh Produce Company present there since 1988

SeaPort Manatee is setting records - handling nearly as much cargo as Tampa

SeaPort Manatee, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2020, has been quietly setting one record after another for cargo handled. In fiscal 2022, SeaPort…

Now Aril Farms can’t keep up with demand for their exceptional fruit

Passionfruit passion pays back

“I think passionfruit has long been a neglected product – few farmers grow it as a top priority crop and almost no-one goes to the store to buy passionfruit. We want to change…

Vilmorin-Mikado Atlas launches ToBRFV-resistant tomato varieties in Morocco

The tomato industry in Morocco is currently enduring one of its worst seasons, suffering the full brunt of commercial challenges and natural hazards.…

Opportunism and neglect, if left unchecked, will lead to the destruction of a unique trading model, says Dr Justy Range of Freshmark Systems

Both fragile and robust, South Africa’s municipal markets keep its citizens fed

Dr Justy Range loves the elegance of South Africa’s municipal markets, often called unique for the way it calls into existence a sphere of trading…

"Our customers are buying fewer rolls throughout the year, and that means less plastic they have to dispose."

The new Australian fresh produce pallet wrapping system resulting in less plastic into the environment

A leading Australian sustainable packaging solutions company, Propak Industries, has made an improvement to its Macro Wrap product to be able to…

Sam Vasala - Sai World

"Quality is looking very good, definitely better than last year and the weather has been kind"

The Australian citrus harvest is about to start, the first Navels should be ready for export at the beginning of May.  Sai World grows most of their citrus…

New study emphasizes benefits of daily nut consumption

A major new research review has found that eating a daily handful of nuts is linked with improved blood lipid profiles. Examining 19 previously published…

Hass avocados more popular than Shepard variety

The popular Hass avocado variety is in season from May to January, and outside of these months Shepard avocados are on the shelves from mid-February to…

USDA

China: Blueberry Annual Voluntary 2023

Blueberries are planted in 26 of China’s 34 provinces

In 2021, the People’s Republic of China overtook the United States as the world’s largest blueberry producer. Blueberries are planted in 26 of China’s…

"One acre is all it takes to launch a shiitake enterprise"

Harrison Feng is the Director at Shandong Imperial Garden Biotechnology, a large producer of shiitake logs from China. The company has a strong and…

Saudi authorities find more than 3.6 mln amphetamine pills in potato shipment

More than 3.6 million amphetamine tablets have been confiscated by Saudi authorities in the Riyadh region. Maj. Mohammed Al-Nujaibi, spokesman for the General…

Number of port strikes around the world has been growing over the past year

The number of port strikes around the world has been growing over the past year, causing headaches for many parties. The number of protests and strikes…

Jantine Heemskerk, Heemskerk fresh & easy:

"Fruit and vegetables' importance - and convenience - keeps growing"

"Given all the raw material price increases, it’s been quite a challenging time," is how Jantine Heemskerk answers when asked about how the sector is…

Mark van der Salm, Snijpunt:

"From the grower to our client's end process, that's where our focus lies"

The Dutch company Snijpunt was founded 25 years ago to add value to bell peppers innovatively and, in the process, unburden clients, says General…

Francesco Mari, Mari Serre:

"Agrivoltaic systems are the future of greenhouses"

"With our twenty years of experience in the sector, we design and build greenhouses for agriculture as well as photovoltaic greenhouses. We aim at…

p2raumdesign GmbH / Spargelhof Strampe

p2raumdesign implements modern fresh food sales counter at the Spargelhof Strampe asparagus farm

"Technology offers many advantages in both the high and low seasons"

The Nordheim-based planning office p2raumdesign has now developed a front panel especially for the fresh produce sales counters used by numerous direct…

News from Pericoli:

It’s time for the plastic evaporative pad PLAScool

The introduction to the market of plastic products signed by Termotecnica Pericoli continues at full speed. After the success achieved with the ACF21p…

Drewry's

World Container Index - April 13

Drewry’s composite index stable this week

Drewry’s composite World Container Index remained stable at $1,708.63 per 40ft container this week.  Drewry’s detailed assessment for Thursday, April 13, 2023, pointed…

"Inspire is a winning variety for us"

Italy is entering the final stretch of its strawberry campaign. A year that, as in other producing areas of the Mediterranean Arc, has been marked by…

Southern Hemisphere season starts for kiwifruit

The Northern Hemisphere season is about to become intensive and challenging. The Oscar® Greece kiwifruit campaign ended on a positive note with strong…

Sea-Intelligence

Shifts in diversity in carriers’ reliability

Schedule reliability is one of the many competitive elements in this industry, and as such, the relative performance of the shipping lines provides a…