Thursday, May 14, 2020
NORTH AMERICA

Our team

Marieke Hemmes
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Annika Durinck
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Astrid van den Broek
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Sander Bruins Slot
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Job Offers

Lead of Irrigation - Warren, MI USA

Grower / Head Grower Canada

Sales agents / representatives

Tissue Culture Manager - Warren (MI) USA

Sales Representative North America

Senior Commercial Manager | Murcia, Spain | Fruit

Country Manager | France

Avocados Sales/Marketing Professional - Europe

Looking for an opportunity in India

Procurement & Sales Manager, Potato Division - Lobinstown, Co. Meath, Ireland

California growers face uncertain spring and summer

With recent significant changes in demand for commodities, thanks in part to a serious drop in foodservice business, some West Coast growers are looking ahead to spring and…

Job Offers:

Lead of Irrigation - Warren, MI USA

Recent frost unlikely to have affected plantings

New York springs increasingly colder and wetter

Following this week’s significant drop in temperatures which in some cases resulted in frost or light snow, growers on the East Coast remain positive that their crops aren’t…

North American retail demand for lemons strong

Supplies of lemons in North America are ample and likely to be even more so shortly. Paul G. Gonzalez of River City Produce Inc. in San Antonio, TX says lemons are coming in…

Mastronardi Produce and Mucci Farms among the winners

CPMA announces winners for 2020 Virtual New Product Showcase

This year, due to the ongoing global pandemic, the CPMA New Product Showcase, which is traditionally held at the CPMA Convention and Trade Show, was moved online. The 2020…

PMA Virtual Town Hall

Consumer pandemic trends: Ecommerce, local produce, and health-focused foods

This week’s PMA Virtual Town Hall focused on consumer trends. What trends have emerged during the pandemic, how can producers, growers, and retailers use these trends to…

Olga Kholiavina

China to allow imports of blueberries from US

China will allow imports of barley and blueberries from the United States, according to notices on its customs website. Imports that meet the relevant…

Call for nominations to recognize the efforts of retail produce team members nationwide

The National Mango Board is inviting retail leaders in the produce industry to nominate retail produce team members who have gone above and beyond the normal…

Volume soars over 20 percent

US: Organic produce sales up 18 percent in April

Total organic fresh produce sales continued to soar in April, increasing 18 percent from last year, and outpacing conventional produce products in both dollars and volume…

Equitable Food Initiative celebrates its 5th anniversary

It has been five years since the formal launch of Equitable Food Initiative, the workforce development and training organization that partners with growers,…

Laura Paternostro joins Terra Exports as Chief Financial Officer

Terra Exports, a global fresh fruit sourcing company, hashired Laura Paternostro as their new Chief Financial Officer. Laura is based in Terra Exports’…

United Fresh

Produce Excellence in Foodservice Award winners 2020 announced

Nine of the country's most innovative chefs and foodservice professionals representing an array of culinary styles and backgrounds will be honored the week of June 15 during…

Global Focus Melons / Kiwifruit

Spain

Melon and watermelon acreage in Castile-La Mancha reduced by 20% this campaign

The melon and watermelon campaign in Castile-La Mancha has already started with the first plantings under thermal blankets. This year, the acreage in the autonomous region is…

Retail

Amazon asks for federal law against price gouging during national emergencies

Westchester grocery chain takes reservations to help keep social distancingOne Westchester County grocery store chain is already embracing the new normal of shopping in a…

Today's important COVID-19 news in the fresh produce sector

Corona-update: Belgian study reveals locked down shoppers turn to vegetables, shunning ready meals

As the COVID-19 situation is reaching a stage of normalisation, a Belgian study from the University of Antwerp shows that shoppers cut spending on ready-made meals and bought…

Researchers identify romaine lettuces that brown less quickly

Agricultural Research Service scientists have identified five Romaine lettuce varieties that both brown less quickly after fresh-cut processing and are slower…

Dragan Drobac

Canadian processing potato holdings 4.2% above three-year average

Across Canada, with the exception of Manitoba, many provinces are seeing above average numbers for how many processing potatoes are stuck in storage. The…

Hapag-Lloyd introduces general rate increase

General Rate Increase – ISC & Middle East to USA and CanadaPlease be advised that in light of current market conditions, a new General Rate Increase will apply from Indian…

Teo Lay Peng

Prince Edward Island government:

‘$4.7 mln in funding will keep 40,000 tons of potatoes out of landfill’

The government of Prince Edward Island has stated says its $4.7 million in funding for the potato industry will result in 40,000 tons of of Island potatoes…

US: Warehouse worker strikes spread across Yakima valley

Fruit packers across Yakima Valley are walking out of work, as it seems strikes among these essential workers are spreading rapidly. This as the industry says…

Valeriia Sychova

Northwest Cherry Growers – Washington state

US cherry growers encouraged by progress made in Asia

Northwest US cherry growers may be in line for some positive news. As Asian markets begin a return somewhat to normal, growers are excited about the…

Simon Thomas

Market and Crop Update for May 14, 2020

'Colorado onion growers are seeing a good crop this season'

MARKETCalifornia Imperial Valley: OnionBusiness caught up with Jason Pearson with Eagle Eye Produce as he was headed to California to check out the area’s new…

Maersk sees drop in global ship container demand this year

Shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk warned of a sharp drop in global container volumes due to the coronavirus pandemic, with weaker retail sales and depressed car production…

Union Pacific permanently shutters Cold Connect

North America’s largest railroad, Union Pacific, announced on May 8 it has permanently discontinued its Cold Connect service for perishables shipping from the…

Maine potato industry hit hard by pandemic

With the hospitality industry closed and events cancelled or open with fewer seats, Maine potato farmers are feeling the pressure from the coronavirus…

Michael Vi

CMA CGM receives billion-dollar loan

The CMA CGM Group has secured a €1.05 billion (US$1.14 billion) syndicated loan from a consortium of BNP Paribas, HSBC and Société Générale. This loan is part…

Clemson University

US: Southern bacterial wilt is affecting Louisiana vegetable growers

Louisiana vegetable growers are beginning to see problems from southern bacterial wilt. This phenomenon is one of the most serious diseases of garden crops…

Hydrogen Peroxide vapour technology gains global acceptance for food preservation

ChillSafe® is a simple to use sachet that produces a low dose hydrogen peroxide vapour to treat spaces where food is packaged, stored or transported for safer, longer lasting…

Brazil expects a record harvest in 2020

Brazil's agricultural harvest is expected to reach a record volume this year, which could rise to 247 million tons, according to government calculations released on Tuesday.…

A Colombian court wants to investigate banana companies in Uraba for financing paramilitary groups

The Specialized Chamber for Land Restitution of the Superior Court of Antioquia requested the Prosecutor's Office investigate the three most important banana…

Ecuador

Banana exports through the Puerto Bolivar Maritime Terminal increase

The Puerto Bolivar Maritime Terminal has kept all its operations active since the start of the coronavirus outbreak and logistics has not been interrupted…

An Israeli company seeks to install a fruit drying plant in Panama

The ambassador of Panama in Israel, Adis Urieta, stated that the Israeli company Sasson, which is based in Kiriat Gat and specializes in nuts and dried fruits,…

New Board composition at M-Stretch and appointment of Group CEO

M-Stretch Spa has announced the appointment of Mr. Alberto Calvo and Mr. Renato Calabrese as new Board members and of Mr. Pierfranco Di Gioia as Group CEO of…

Clayton Swart- SATI

Best grape crop in three years signals full recovery after prolonged drought

The South African grape season ended with volumes in line with estimates and according to Clayton Swart from SATI it is the best crop in three years and signals a full…

Rouxan Jansen van Rensburg – Core Fruit

High demand for passionfruit as new South African cultivar makes its export debut

A new passionfruit cultivar called Silesia, bred in White River, Mpumalanga Province, delivers better tonnages with more pulp, better eating quality, good skin colour and…

South Africa

Blueberry pollination unaffected by lockdown but increased vandalism of hives

Lockdown restrictions have not significantly affected the pollination of commercial crops in South Africa, despite initial uncertainty on the role of beekeepers as essential…

Fruit Kingdom expects positive season

Egyptian grape harvest started amidst Ramadan

The Egyptian grape harvest has started and thanks to great weather, the prospects of the season are looking good. There are still some challenges, but working during the…

Tarik Kaan Muslu

Turkish fruit growers get green light from Thailand's $210 mln apple market

Turkey’s fruit producers are entering Thailand's $210 million apple market, intent on widening their new market opportunities in Asia after beginning exporting…

APAL

Improved access for Australian apple and pears into India

Australian apple and pear exporters now have improved access into the Indian market following amendments to India’s Plant Quarantine Order legislation. The…

Indian 'Mango Man' names new mango variety 'Lockdown'

Ashok Kumar Choudhary of Bihar, who is affectionately called 'Mango Man' in the state, has named a new hybrid variety of Jardalu mango "Lockdown". Choudhary, a…

François Moran, Tropibana:

“With the lockdown being lifted, we have had a 30 to 40% increase in revenue”

Monday, May 11th marked the official lifting of the lockdown, as the French have experienced it since the 17th of March. Professionals of the fruit and vegetable sector at…

UNITEC continues to install new packing lines despite challenging conditions

When the emergency situation due to the pandemic got worse, UNITEC's first thought was to continue to ensure all the necessary support to its customers, the packing houses all…

Justin Leonard - Jackie Leonard & Son

Re-inventing your business after 127 years

In Ireland the lock down was announced on 15th of March and came into force the following day, just one day before St Patrick’s Day which is the biggest celebration of the…

Jan, Albert, Gerco and Nijs van Zuilen about BerryBrothers' 40 years:

“We are entirely independent in most soft fruit sales and cultivation"

The Van Zuilen family have had red currant juice flowing through their veins for 40 years now. In 1980, Jan and Karin van Zuilen started growing fruit. This was on a 3-hectare…

Arjan de Nood (Burg Machinery): "Our line functions as a supply to the sorting machine"

"Pumpkin processing lines from big to small"

Burg Machinery has been producing pumpkin washing and processing lines for more than ten years. "In recent years, we have supplied lines in the Netherlands, but also in…

William Sonneveld, FV Seleqt:

"Shortage of air freight capacity biggest challenge on legume market"

Rainfall in Kenya, extreme demand for pods and sugar snaps during the first period after the Corona measures; there are plenty challenges for FV Seleqt. But they are currently…

Marcel van Lith, The Greenery:

"Challenging conditions on the red currant sales market"

In the Netherlands, the anti-coronavirus measures were announced in Mid-March. The European hospitality sector shut its doors. Red currant sales then ground to a complete halt…

Margret Eschbach, 2bfresh Eschbach AG on the current market for Micro Leaves

"We can't have to dump fresh cress while people buy canned ravioli"

Before the Corona pandemic, cresses and micro leaves were among the most interesting trend articles in the vegetable sector. Especially in the gastronomy the unique Micro…

FreshPlaza Funny

The good old college times