Lorenzo Gassi, a farmer from Rutigliano (Italy) with about 10 hectares of traditional and seedless varieties, is not exuberant about the 2023 grape season, but he is serene and less worried. He is closing the season more than two months early. read more

The chairman of Consorzio Arancia Rossa di Sicilia, Gerardo Diana, is calling for the "immediate suspension of the imports of all citrus fruits coming from South Africa and the application by the EU of the same measures applied by third countries to the export of olives affected by Xylella." read more

Groundwood pulp, corrugated and solid board, but wood as well: the changing packaging legislation for fruit and vegetables in many European countries is forcing the packaging industry to invest and innovate. "The trend is clearly moving away from plastic and towards biodegradable materials that
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The Spanish onion and garlic market remains stable, although with a lower supply. Prices remain high for both products, with a scarcity of large sizes this season. read more

On November 23, Odilo Duarte, PhD in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Berlin and a leading figure in Latin American fruit growing, will turn 80 years old. Throughout a lifetime devoted to fruit growing, he has managed to have a prolific and successful international career, which has
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"The power of repetition is paramount," begins Joost van Altena of the Dutch fruit and vegetable hospitality wholesaler Miedema-AGF. "I bring typical seasonal products like Flower Sprouts and Bloemendaal yellow cabbage to my customers' attention every year. Chefs can use these to stand out with
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"Given its fluctuation, we are matching the imported products to break into the market. In Norway, supermarkets and wholesalers are all privately owned. These families are dictating the fruit and vegetable market, with price as their main objective. In October, we sold salads for 1 EUR, whereas
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On November 3 in Georgetown, California, a black bear was recorded by Dayna Hawes' Ring camera, foraging for apples in her backyard. The bear, captured on film climbing and shaking an apple tree, was exhibiting behavior typical of hyperphagia—a feeding frenzy state common in black bears during
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MSC has made a statement saying it is honored to be crowned “Shipping Company of the Year” at Seatrade Maritime Awards 2023. This prestigious accolade recognizes MSC for its outstanding response in keeping worldwide trade moving amid global and industry challenges, the company’s commitment
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According to the latest Consumer Price Index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from September to October, prices for various products in the US went up, but apple prices plunged 7.9%. This year, apples are plentiful thanks to great apple-growing weather in the spring. That, coupled with
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The Ugandan government has rolled out a Shs400 million Hass avocado growing project in Kabale district. Some 43,300 seedlings were delivered - at a cost of Shs8,000 - each to be planted during the rainy season. The project will supplement the existing government programs of wealth creation that
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The high prices of strawberries in late fall have confirmed the predictions of Loris Gentile, managing director of the Gentile Group, who warned in one of our articles in early September that transplants of early varieties would be down by 50 percent. read more

"The season for king oyster mushrooms has got off to a good start. While things were still rather slow at the end of September, business has been much better since October, and the Christmas business is also gradually picking up," says Torsten Jonas, Managing Director of Pilzgarten GmbH from
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The Egyptian spring onion season is underway again for Freeland. "We do a fair amount of year-round imports from Egypt, especially of onions and pumpkins, and spring onions are a nice addition to this during the winter season," said Jordi van den Bosch. Freeland supplies mostly customers in the
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The Moroccan Clementine season has begun at Wilko Fruit in the Netherlands. "We're getting those from the Agadir, Marrakech, and Berkane regions. Their quality, color, and flavor are great, with a Brix between 11 and 12. They're just a little smaller than other years," Stefan Baremans says. read more

New Zealand Kiwifruit brand Zespri has launched $2 million annual fund to accelerate sustainable innovation. Zespri said in a statement on Tuesday that the firm is establishing a new innovation funding initiative, known as ZAG. read more

After a good start for the Polish apple season, exports currently seem to have calmed down recently, according to Jakub Krawczyk, export manager for Polish apple exporter Appolonia: “The apple trade slowed down a bit in the last two weeks. Orders from Europe are not too big at the moment, we
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In only its third season of blueberry exports to some world markets Ecuador’s industry is the proverbial 'new kid on the block', with the advantage of having 52 weeks supply available. According to Ing. Sebastian Muñoz, from the Ecuadorian Federation of Blueberry Producers and Exporters,
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After a somewhat turbulent start, seedling shallots have managed to carve out a place for themselves on the French market. According to Yannick Chevray, marketing and sales support manager at Bejo France, the “many advantages" have gradually convinced producers. read more

The breeding company Agri-Saaten can look back on an exciting 2023. At the end of June, part of the carrot breeding programme called Carosem GmbH was sold to Enza Zaden. Meanwhile, the family business based in Bad Essen has by no means stood still, as Co-Managing Director Hendrik Müller
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