Tuesday, March 24, 2020
NORTH AMERICA

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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

Farm Manager - Queensland Plants & Flowers, Australia

Teeltspecialist (Proeftuin & Veredeling) - Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands

Farm Manager - Riana, Tasmania, Australia

Industry Development Manager - Rocklea, Australia

Sales Manager

Commercial Manager | Huelva, Spain | Soft Fruits

Farm manager / Senior grower seeking for his next role

Fruit Export Junior Sales Manager (Europe Division)

Crop Team Manager Hydroponics - USA

Plant Production Scientist - Brooklyn (New York) USA

Washington apple market

From a stagnant market to escalating demand

Washington state’s apple season has been challenging with demand not being able to meet supplies. However, on the demand side, things quickly turned around recently as a…

Fresh produce sales up 33.9% amid growing number of COVID-19 cases

As coronavirus social distancing measures are tightening and the number of confirmed cases are growing, retail sales are surging. Shoppers are stocking up on staples and fresh…

Ira Greenstein of Direct Source Marketing:

“The table grape industry is in uncharted territory right now”

While the Chilean and Peruvian grape seasons are winding down and their weekly volumes are decreasing, the table grape industry has seen an uptick in demand in the past weeks.…

Robotic farming paving the way?

Is fully automated farming the future? It is, in fact, part of the future says Mike Zelkind, chief executive officer of 80 Acres Farms, a vertical farming company based in…

Official pack date

Vidalia onions set to ship April 16

For Vidalia® onion fans, spring doesn’t officially start until the iconic vegetable ships to stores around the country. This year, the Georgia Department of Agriculture and…

Ojai Pixie tangerines measure between 17.5 – 18.3 Brix this season

Just under 50 co-op growers in the Ojai Valley have recently begun harvesting their crop of pixie tangerines. This late-season citrus comes at a time when communities are…

US companies work to support consumers during pandemic

During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many companies are trying to use their influence to help the communities they serve. Encouraging consumers to stay at homeOne example…

United Fresh urges Congress to take action to help food service distributors

In response to the devastating effects that have been felt by the food service sector due to the restaurant and school closures, United Fresh Produce…

California company recalls enoki mushrooms due to possible Listeria contamination

Guan’s Mushroom Co of Commerce, CA, is recalling all cases of its 200g/7.05 ounce packages of Enoki Mushroom (product of Korea) because it has the potential to be contaminated…

Global Focus Grapes

Spring grapes to debut under new label, in line with Mexican season

Building on its Ocean Spray® Family Farmer-Owned berry and citrus partnership, Oppy plans to ship its first grapes with the brand in May. Oppy will launch the Ocean Spray branded grape…

Special Australia / New Zealand

"The digital divide is very much a real thing"

The Australian technology company helping to bridge the communication gap through off-grid networks

With 43 per cent of Australian farms having little or no mobile coverage, an Australian startup company is out to solve that problem through scalable wireless networks. While…

Retail

Kroger: One-time bonus for workers during crisis

Instacart plans to bring on 300,000 new personal shoppers over the next 3 months

Canada: Sobeys to install plexiglass barriers at checkouts as grocers work to stay open amid coronavirus outbreakSobeys parent company Empire Co. Ltd. has ordered thousands of…

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

Corona-update: Asda to donate £5 million to food banks

In Idaho, potato prices jumped significantly during a recent five-day stretch, while freight carriers all over the world are struggling to deliver goods by land, sea or air…

US study reveals critical role of food & ag sectors in the economy

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has served as a reminder of the critical role that the United States food and agriculture industries play in fueling our nation and ensuring that…

NORPAC sued for $7 million by buyer National Frozen Foods

National Frozen Foods, the company that won the right to purchase some of the assets of NORPAC Foods in bankruptcy court has sued the farmer-owned cooperative for $7.1…

California

Mating disruption necessary to minimize damage from Navel Orangeworm

David Haviland, an Entomologist with UCANR Kern County, the mating disruption for navel orangeworms is critical in certain agri hotspots. It’s something that's…

Russian boycott not lifted

On Monday March 23rd, a message from the Russian news outlet TASS was published, which stated that the Russian embargo for certain products would be lifted for a month. GroentenFruit…

The first patients begin to arrive

IFEMA: From hosting events like Fruit Attraction to becoming a hospital

The premises of Ifema in Madrid have gone from being a venue used for events such as Fruit Attraction, the most important trade fair for the Spanish fruit and vegetable…

All fruit markets are closed in India, produce could get stuck at ports

"If the curfew will be prolonged, it will mean heavy losses for our Chilean exports"

Indian importers are always looking for new markets to get their fruit from. While still buying apples from Poland, one importer has made it a mission to start bringing apples…

Fastest-growing exporters since 2014: Hong Kong, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and New Zealand

Sweet cherry exports by country

Globally, sales from exported sweet cherries by country totaled US$3.1 billion in 2018. According to an article on worldstopexports.com, the overall value of exported sweet cherries…

Ecuador

The Port of Guayaquil doubles the free storage period for exporters

Contecon, the concessionaire of Guayaquil's Maritime Port, has decided to double the free storage period at the terminal for Ecuadorian exporters from 5 to 10…

Negotiations for the entry of Peruvian mandarins to India hit setback

The start of exports of Peruvian mandarins to India, which have already been approved at a technical level, has been hampered by India's request to open the Peruvian market to…

Country particularly vulnerable due to high HIV and tuberculosis prevalence

South African fresh industry supports country lockdown

South Africa has followed suit: the country's president has announced a total lockdown of 21 days, starting from midnight Thursday night during which citizens will only be…

"We temporarily stopped kiwi fruit export in favor of domestic sales in the Chinese market"

Kiwi fruit production and retail is gradually recovering in Guizhou production areas, more than two months after the initial outbreak of COVID-19. Market demand is also…

Tangerines have been on the tree for longer than usual

Orri tangerines enter Chinese market in large volumes

The tangerine harvest in China has begun. Several new product varieties enter the market one by one. However, the COVID-19 epidemic, which broke out shortly…

Conditions in Chinese durian market are difficult to predict

The COVID-19 epidemic has spread beyond the borders of China to countries such as Thailand and Malaysia where not only "the cities are closed" but "the entire…

Early start of Andalusia's stone fruit campaign and uncertainty about the policies against the coronavirus in Europe

"This crisis is revaluing the orange"

After the usual break for the Chinese New Year, the COVID-19 crisis in Wuhan delayed, slowed, and in some cases prevented the restart of European fruit exports to Asia. This…

Luc Monden (De Kruidenaer) seeks sales alternatives and limits imports:

“As things stand, we have to do something with our herbs, and fast”

“You do not want to throw anything away if you do not really have to," says Luc Monden of the Dutch herb nursery, De Kruidenaer. Yet, that may well happen if a sales…

Sandeep Singh, Amar Import & Export:

"Now that cargo flights from Suriname and the Dominican Republic to the Netherlands are scrapped, exotic vegetable prices are rising"

Amar Import & Export is has been trading in exotic fruit, vegetables, and specialties for more than 30 years now. The company is based in the Netherlands. It specializes in…

Jack Hanson - Fountain Fresh

"Since pubs and restaurants were advised to close last week, the supply chain has experienced a massive shift"

It has been a bizarre couple of weeks in the fresh produce industry, there have been big changes in the supply chain as people have been forced to change their entire way of…

Andy Weir - Reynolds

“We have set up a click and collect service from our DC in Hertfordshire to service the local community"

Major food service companies around the country are having to cope with a major drop in demand after schools, pubs, restaurants and gyms were told to close last week. Many are…

Urgent EU action needed on road borders, drivers and financial support

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues, urgent measures are needed to address the impact on essential goods transport and passenger transport within and among EU…

China: Scientists map genome sequencing for mangoes

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences and other institutes generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly of mangoes and…

Michael Franks - Seeka

"We will continue to operate, but we must meet quite sensible but stringent protocols"

On Monday the New Zealand Government took the decision to shut the country down. Self-isolation will be imposed, with all-non-essential services, schools and offices to be…

Panic buying at Aussie nurseries selling fruit and vegetable plants and seeds

After the panic buying of toilet rolls, rice, pasta and meat, it seems to have spread to the nursery industry. Demand for edible plants and seeds heats up due to coronavirus.…

How one Australian company is turning mushrooms into a meat alternative

An Australian company that began turning mushrooms into meat alternative products less than three months ago says demand is already incredibly strong. Fable Food Company CEO…

Webinar - Monday - 30 March 2020, 2 pm (UK)

Restrain is the natural replacement for CIPC

Are you looking for a replacement for CIPC? And do you have questions about Restrain's ethylene anti-sprouting system? Register now for our webinar: "Restrain is the natural…

Some 3,000 summer picking jobs advertised

UK: Tayside and Fife berry farms launch massive recruitment drive

Fruit farmers in Angus, Fife and Perthshire are appealing for almost 3000 people to pick berries this summer. The 19 members of Arbroath-based Angus Growers have launched a…

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