Wednesday, April 8, 2020
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Today's important COVID-19 news in the fresh produce sector

Corona-update: US asparagus farms have been hit hard

When we again take a look at the present situation, the news seems to be somewhat more uplifting day by day. Still, in the US, asparagus farms in San Joaquin County claim they…

Imported ginger: “It’s been difficult keeping up with demand”

Ginger is yet another commodity that has seen a pickup in demand throughout North America since COVID-19 began to seriously impact the continent. “It’s been…

Patrick Kelly, co-author of Millennial Boom!

“As an industry, we need to be reactive and resilient during this time”

One of the results of the coronavirus pandemic is that many more people are working from home where possible. Even in the produce industry, where many vital…

Craig Padover of Jac Vandenberg Inc.:

“Overall stone fruit volumes from Chile are down, but market is steady”

During the winter months, from November through March, Chile is the most prominent supplier of stone fruit for the United States. The nectarine and peach seasons are currently…

Women becoming more prominent in Ecuador’s banana sector

Cecilia Manzanillas grew up in a banana farming family in Ecuador. “My father was farmer who taught us how to work the land and how to do it with care. I also learned a lot…

Anthony Umina, Fresh Local Produce:

“This is what we call hands-free cultivation"

“This is what we call hands-free cultivation ,” says Anthony Umina, managing member of Fresh Local Produce, when showing his newly realised fully automated growing system in…

National Mango Board elects 4 new officers

The National Mango Board elected 4 new officers during their March 2020 board meeting which was held via teleconference. As dedicated members, the NMB officers will fulfill…

QA supplies highlights ClensAir™

Air-purifier can remove 99% of viral simulant for COVID-19

QA Supplies spreads awareness about a device initially designed for post-harvest preservation within ripening rooms, distribution centers, and fresh produce retailers, the…

Washington state's asparagus harvest to start mid-April

As consumers continue to look for fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables to serve their families during these difficult times, Progressive Produce will begin shipping their…

South Africa: Pace of loading at ports expected to pick up

At the ports of Durban and Cape Town, Transnet has announced it would relax staffing constraints, so it is expected that the pace of loading will pick up within the coming…

Special South Africa

20% spike in South African lemon exports forecast

Early South African lemon exports double

Just over 3.6 million 15kg cartons lemons have been exported thus far in the lemon season, of which two-thirds have gone to the Middle East, traditionally one of the early…

Global Focus Packing/Machinery/Fresh-Cut

How coronavirus will affect the upcoming blueberry season

There is little time left to start the blueberry season in Northern Europe, but some growers are already concerned about the influence of the coronavirus pandemic on their…

Retail

C&S Wholesale Grocers has teamed up with Sysco

Stop & Shop is making it easier for seniors to get to the store

US: Albertsons, UFCW want grocery workers classified as first respondersAlbertsons Cos. and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), the largest food and retail…

Members of Congress and produce industry urge financial relief for industry

United Fresh Produce Association and a number of industry partners have presented to the U.S. Department of Agriculture a comprehensive Produce Market…

Rising air freight prices benefit sea freight rates

According to the freight rate monitor FBX, average rates remain on a par with a year ago as the demand for critical supplies are boosting airfreight rates from…

"We are far too ready to throw foods away because we go by the use-by date"

Food can be eaten for up to six months after the best-before date and weeks beyond its use-by date, according to consumer watchdogs. The research also found…

H&C Food Inc. recalls enoki mushrooms due to possible Listeria contamination

H&C Food Inc. of Brooklyn, NY is recalling 7.05OZ (200G) Enoki mushrooms imported from Green Co. located in Korea, because it has the potential to be contaminated with…

"Chinese market demand for frozen vegetables rapidly increased"

Chinese consumers have had to change their eating habits in the last few weeks because many restaurants temporarily closed their doors in response to the outbreak of COVID-19.…

"Overseas market demand for Chinese lemons is strong"

"Most of the Chinese lemons currently on the export market come from Anyue in Sichuan. The sales season of Anyue lemons begins every year in September. Traders stock their…

New regulations for Hong Kong truck drivers

"Sea cargo is recovering in China, but air cargo still limited"

It has been quite busy at Chinese ports in the last few months. With the outbreak of COVID-19, a lot of transport slowed down. Richard Chan from China Merchants Port (South…

Chinese onion price drops by nearly 70%

Yuanmou county in Yunnan is one of the most important onion production areas in China. The overall surface area devoted to onion plantation in Yuanmou is more…

Qatar scraps 5% customs duty on all food products until September 15

On March 15, 2020, the Qatar Crisis Management Committee within the Ministry of Health (MoPH) implemented an incentive package to mitigate the impact of the…

Jeff Scott - ATGA

“It has been a reasonable season so far, but there have been ups and downs along the way"

The Australian grape season started back in October a couple of weeks later than normal. Queensland and the north west of the country ran through till December, with the other…

Lock down increases sweet potato sales

Australians have gone back to basics, cooking at home with the family and this has increased the demand for sweet potatoes according to Allan Mahoney from Australian Sweet…

Tasmanian berry farm ensures fruit-based syrups continue production

Tasmanians will continue to have locally grown and produced blackcurrant and raspberry syrups, despite the withdrawal of Coca-Cola Amatil's Cascade Ultra C from sale.…

Advancing robotics in the Australian vegetable industry

From 2016-2019, a team from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney undertook projects focusing on advancing the application of robotics,…

Demand for Australian organic produce surges as certification is adapting

Organic certification bodies in Australia are adapting their auditing processes as the COVID-19 crisis drives a surge in demand for organic grain, dairy,…

Solidarity and resourcefulness against the coronavirus

Greenhouse plastics are used as hospital gowns

Many sectors donated some of their resources to help the health professionals of the province of Cadiz, who lacked personal protective equipment against the…

Season would be great under normal circumstances

Egyptian grape season could start with labor issues

The Egyptian grape season is a little over a month away, which could be challenging as it will start during the second half of Ramadan. Combine this with the curfew that is…

Abdelkader Benchagra, Mister Avocado:

"Moroccan avocados are our core business"

Abdelkader Benchagra has worked in the Dutch fruit and vegetable sector for years. Last year, he started Mister Avocado. The company's main product is Moroccan avocados. Other…

Ortofrutta Mele

Those who purchased oranges too late lost their money

One may consider brokerage activities to be a thing of the past and a not-so-calculated risk. But then there are years such as this one, where citrus production is lower than…

Vitaina

Dehydrated fruit using innovative processing techniques

"Consumers nowadays are very careful: they prefer healthy food and are constantly looking for superfoods, boasting excellent nutritional properties. I have therefore started…

Mark Tweddle - Jupiter Group

“The most positive thing coming out of this is the increased demand for citrus fruits"

Indian grape exports came to a sudden halt a couple of weeks ago when the Indian Prime Minister gave the instruction for the country to go into lockdown. Unlike other…

Eminent Seeds introduces new Sweet bite varieties

The story of the Sweet bite: 20 years of baby point peppers

High yield, extended shelf life, tasty fruit and labor-saving are some of the specifications of the new baby point pepper varieties from Eminent Seeds. Especially Jan van…

Banana imports to EU 28 in 2019 dropped 1.3 percent y-o-y

Banana imports to the EU seem to have dropped by 1.3% (or 70,000 tons) year-on-year. The drop was largest regarding shipments from Suriname, Cameroon and St. Lucia. Brazilian and…

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