It’s been a challenging year according to Mohamed Marawan, owner of Polish apple exporter Sarafruit. He feels that the issues of 2023 will carry over in the new year: “In my opinion the year 2023 wasn’t positive for all who are involved in this apple business, as the global environmental
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Dubai has announced a ban on single-use plastic bags. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, issued the resolution on December 31, 2023. The ban applies to single-use and recycled products, including plastic and non-plastic items, regardless of their material
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Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. announced today its results for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 and updated its full year earnings targets for fiscal 2024. read more

Vessels that are avoiding the dangers of the Red Sea by rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope (a voyage 5,000km longer) should pack extra fuel, because they won’t be refueling at Algoa Bay, seaward from Port Elizabeth and Ngqura, as they’ve been used to doing. read more

According to Odepa's most recent report, during the January-November 2023 period, Chile exported 2,947,000 tons of fruits worth USD 6.889 billion FOB. Compared to the same period of 2022, the export volume decreased by 5.4% but the value increased by 10.8%. read more

Many farmers in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany, have been working non-stop for days to save their lands from the floods. Regional farmers' association Landvolk Niedersachsen estimates that all of the 35,000 farms in Lower Saxony have suffered water damage to their fields. "Several hundred
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In response to the shortage of ships resulting from Red Sea diversions, tonnage providers have jacked up charter rates, particularly for larger vessels that are the workhorses of long-haul routes. read more

Drewry World Container Index increased by 61% to $2,670 per 40ft container this week and has increased by 25% when compared with the same week last year. read more

Sainsbury’s is switching its own-brand mushroom punnets from plastic to cardboard in a move which will save over 775 tonnes of plastic, equivalent to over 52 million pieces of plastic a year. This is the retailer’s biggest ever single plastics removal in its history – equivalent to the
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On Syria’s Mediterreanean coast, tomato cultivation is declining. This is due to the high costs involved compared to other crops, such as bananas. The coastal province of Tartus, specifically the city of Banias, is known as one of the most important tomato production areas. read more

The South African stone fruit industry is launching a new UK campaign in January aimed at both increasing visibility of its products to consumers and restoring trade confidence in the country as a primary Southern hemisphere source. read more

Vincenzo Sabato, an Italian strawberry grower who is well aware of the effects of soil salinity, decided to turn to Pan Agri, a company with more than 40 years of experience in irrigation and fertigation and the creator of the Irrifarm system. read more

"We started growing Payaro strawberries on about 3 hectares in the spring of 1994." According to Francesco Nicodemo, commercial manager of Italian Nicofruit, the harvest took place in April and May and lasted no longer than 40-55 days. read more

"It was an unusual year, with El Niño climate issues all over the world," begins Ad Verkerk of MBF (Meadowbrook Farms) Savannah, a Dutch company specializing in importing exotic fruits and vegetables. He is referring to the global weather conditions affecting the cultivation of many products,
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"From a production point of view, the requirements have changed completely. We are fortunate that we have a large fleet of machines, because this year certain packaging machines - workhorses in terms of the quantities produced in previous years - have not sold. I am referring in particular
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According to the president of the Association of Blueberry Producers of Peru (Proarándanos), Daniel Bustamante Canny, Peruvian fresh blueberry exports could reach 215,000 tons by the end of the 2023/2024 campaign, i.e. 25% less than the 285,000 tons sent in the previous campaign. read more

The organic mushroom farm Reiser, located in Rohrau, Lower Austria, is pioneering new methods in the production of high-quality mushroom substrate for organic mushroom cultivation. Just in time for the new year, the new substrate hall with a total capacity of 1,200m2 was put into operation.
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It was hard to miss the consolidation of companies within the fresh produce industry in 2023 and it could be an industry development that continues into 2024. read more

The second strawberry harvest cycle is approaching in Egypt. Mohammed Ezzat, CEO of Egyptian producer Green Nile, predicts a fairly satisfactory season. read more

"We have just shipped loads to Greece and Dubai, to major retail chains. We are also represented in some Italian retail chains. We are satisfied with the feedback we have received so far", says Camilla Bulgarelli, Sipo sales manager, taking stock of the innovative line of colored Datterino
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