The most striking data is that there were no precipitations in south-eastern Sicily in October, something that had not happened since 1871, i.e. ever since weather data has been collected systematically. read more

Zespri Board Chairman Bruce Cameron will step down in February 2024 after five years in the role and will retire as a Director of Zespri at the company’s next Annual Meeting in August 2024. read more

Both the Spanish and Israeli bell pepper seasons are in full swing at the Dutch company Gilad Produce. "The war means there are fewer flights available from Israel. There's also a shortage of workers to harvest and pack all the bell peppers, but we're still receiving the necessary volumes," says
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As Tropical Cyclone Jasper is moving to far north Queensland, it is set to hit one of Australia’s most productive farming regions. read more

South African fresh fruit exports have stopped climbing for 2023. This year, 4.16 million tons were exported, compared to 4.25 million tons in 2022. That is a decrease of 2%, while in the preceding years, South African fruit exports rose significantly. In 2016, the three million-ton threshold
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The 2022/2023 season has culminated with the largest harvest of pears and apples recorded in Argentina, as confirmed by official statistics. The effective production, i.e. the production with commercial output, reached around 1.17 million tons, a 20% increase over the previous year -more than
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At the start of the pandemic, Bremen-based catering wholesaler Topak Fruchtimporte moved into the former Greenyard hall at the local wholesale market. With a total capacity of 6,600 m2, the site offers more than enough space for the family business's storage, order picking and fresh-cut
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Yesterday afternoon, farmers and potato producers secured €4.3 million in financial support, following protest at the Presidential Palace. There, they sought economic assistance to cover the increased production costs. The protesting farmers agreed to the government’s final proposal,
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International tomato specialist RedStar has appointed CFO Peter Kalden as CEO, effective November 1. He thereby succeeds Henri Lambriex, who takes his seat on the STAK. In addition, Koen van Hartevelt has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer. Van Hartevelt comes from growers' cooperative
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There is a new project, set up by a consortium of sector groups and experts, to help potato growers fine-tune storage practices. UK growers are being encouraged to sign up to the project, which is based on the Strategic Potato (SPot) Farms model run by AHDB Potatoes, prior to its demise. It has
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The updated forecast for the 2023–24 orange crop in Brazil’s citrus belt is 307.22 million boxes of 40.8 kilograms each. That’s a reduction of 2.12 million boxes, or 0.7%, from the September forecast of 309.34 million boxes. The update was issued Dec. 11 by Fundecitrus in cooperation with
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According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, vegetable harvest in Ukraine reached nearly 29 million tons. The sufficiency for the next season hinges on storage conditions. read more

Earlier this week, Hungary's Minister of Agriculture stated that Ukraine's accession to the European Union would compromise the livelihood of producers of other member states as ‘European farmers cannot compete with Ukrainian estates of hundreds of thousands of hectares owned by Western
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In November, Novorossiysk monitored 119,000 tons of imported goods for potentially harmful organisms, as reported by the Department of Rosselkhoznadzor. The imported fruits and vegetables originated from 52 countries, with Egypt, Turkey, China, and Israel being the main exporters. read more

The European Commission has confirmed the first interception of a shipment of pomegranates with false moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta). The shipment originated from Morocco, a third country that -up until now- was considered a free zone of this quarantine plague. AVA-ASAJA expressed its "extreme
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"It's not an easy year for South African mangoes," remarks a retail buyer after what has been called a 'mini-tornado' tore down the Blyde River Valley, border Mpumalanga/Limpopo, blowing off scores of mangoes from trees on Friday evening. read more

The supply of potatoes across the country is ample and promotions are increasingly being put in place to move them. “We’re in a different kind of year than the last few years in that we have an excess of supply,” says Rachel Atkinson-Leach, vice president, brand & category excellence
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On 7 December an important research forum took place hosted jointly by Avocados Australia (AAL) and the Fresh and Secure Trade Alliance (FASTA) at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Redlands Research Facility in Cleveland, Queensland. The event brought together professionals with the
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Producers, technical advisors and market operators will be among the nearly 120 participants who are expected to attend the French Allium Day (garlic, shallot, onion and leek) organized by CTIFL, to be held on January 30th, 2024 at the Balandran research center. read more

There is usually less demand in November, but the green asparagus Christmas demand has now erupted, says Lisa van Zon of Yex: "There are, however, very few, especially of the larger sizes." read more