After the internationalization process that started four years ago with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Australia, the Rocca Imperiale Consortium of Associated Lemon Producers is now sending its product to Japan. Over 40 tonnes of Limoré lemons left Malpensa airport (Milan, Italy) on
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Targeted packaging waste legislation and single-use packaging regulation could finally signal a turning point in shift toward sustainable, reusable packaging. As long as policymakers don't torpedo their own work and progress so far.The scale of pollution still attributable to single-use
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The spirit of Easter and springtime is captured by International Event Designer Alina Naesca. She decorated the halls of the Bethlen Haller Castle in Romania, giving us a glimpse of the Nova Vita and Golden Blossoms of rose breeder United Selections. Together, they aim to innovate and bring forth… read more

For Australian avocado enthusiasts, discerning the ripeness of Hass or Shephard varieties remains a challenge prior to purchase. The introduction of an avocado ripeness checker in a Zurich supermarket has sparked global debate on whether this technology is the solution to determining fruit
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The National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) in Uganda has identified the Hass avocado industry as a burgeoning sector with significant potential for growth. The global market for avocados is currently valued at over $8 billion, with projections indicating a rise to more than $20 billion
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The British National Trust's decision to remove mushrooms from its nearly 300 cafes across the UK has sparked concerns in Ireland, particularly among mushroom producers. This move, aimed at protecting bogs from peat extraction, is expected to have significant financial implications for the
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This month FreshPlaza will focus on all things South African. Are you a grower, importer or exporter, or in the packaging or cooling business? If you are in anyway involved in the fresh produce business we would love to hear from you. You can send us in some info or we can give you call for an
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On March 31, Bulgaria and Romania become Schengen members: the Schengen rules will apply in both Member States, including on issuing Schengen visas, and controls at the internal air and sea borders will be lifted. The Commission strongly welcomes this achievement, which follows the historic
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According to EastFruit analysts, in March 2024, an noticeable event occurred in the Georgian avocado market – for the first time, the first ever direct shipment of Hass avocados from Morocco to Georgia was made. The variety and type of avocado delivered is still non-standard for the Georgian
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The nectarine harvest has already started in Huelva, the earliest stone fruit producing area in Spain, and this year it has done so a week earlier than in the previous season. "We started harvesting white and yellow-fleshed nectarines on March 23, exactly a week earlier than in the previous
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Why should banana prices actually be higher in stores? Why will it be years before other African countries will take Central and South America by storm in exports? Why is there no TR4-resistant variety yet? And why are reefer ships suddenly in demand again? Frits Popma answers all these
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EastFruit analysts draw attention to Ukraine's success in exporting premium quality apples. In particular, in one of the most important and capacious markets in the Middle East with a high level of prices and competition, Ukraine confidently ranks second in terms of supply volumes in December
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For Belgium company Rotom, the start of the busiest period of the year is gradually coming around. As larger volumes of Dutch and Belgian tomatoes from unlit cultivation increasingly find their way to the market, it also marks the peak period for the company specializing in tomato cultivation.
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"It seems that the exhibition will be bigger again, despite all the current challenges in the market," says Dick van Raamsdonk, General Director of HPP Exhibitions, when talking about the upcoming IFTEX in Nairobi, Kenya, in June (4-6). "The fair's growth is mainly due to the increasing number of… read more

The start of April marks the end of the Egyptian government's ban on onion exports. According to Mohamad Hassan, Export Sales Manager at Al Gamal, this year's production is sufficient and far exceeds the needs of the local market. "With the expiry of the onion export ban, initially set until
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South Africa's 2024 citrus export season will begin in earnest this month. The variety focus groups of the Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa (CGA) presented their predicted export volumes for the upcoming season at the Citrus Marketing Forum held last week. "Overall, an increase in
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In Ukraine, March witnessed the identification of violations during the import of vegetables and fruits, leading to reduced prices amounting to UAH 141.2 million, as stated by Danylo Hetmantsev, Head of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax, and customs policy. Hetmantsev highlighted the… read more