No patents on seeds: Patent on peppers not revoked
The European Patent Office (EPO) has rejected the opposition against a patent of the company Syngenta (Chemchina) on conventionally bred peppers (EP2140023). Syngenta had obtained a patent in 2013

Portuguese fruit, veg and flower exports smash through €2bn barrier
Portuguese fruit, vegetable and flower exports reached €2.04bn in 2022, their highest value ever, according to new figures from the Portuguese Statistics Institute (INE). This was an increase of

Peru diverts its grape exports to closer markets due to the protests in the country
Alejandro Cabrera, head of the Peruvian association of table grape producers, Provid, told Bloomberg that exporters and producers in the industry were struggling to recover from two weeks of

WCO discusses market developments
The World Citrus Organisation (WCO) held a meeting at Fruit Logistica last week for members of its global citrus community to exchange on citrus consumption and market developments. The meeting

Year-round dragon fruit from Vietnam enables global exports
Nguyen Quoc Duan is General Direct at Vietnamese dragon fruit growing and export company Song Nam ITD Co., Ltd.. The company is based in Ho Chi Min City, with its farms in Vietnam's Binh Thuan

Investing in freezing berries, fruits and vegetables: unexpected challenges for beginners (Part I)
Building a plant for freezing berries, fruits, and vegetables can cost an average of 5-10 million EUR. Of course, you can find ways to spend less or more, depending on the wishes of the investor.

Small 2021/22 Dutch potato crop, but lots of importing and exporting
Last year, €13.5 billion worth of (fresh and processed) potatoes were traded worldwide. At €7 billion, frozen exports' value far exceeded that of (fresh) ware potatoes' €3.4 billion.

Areas planted with carrots will expand in Moldova. Is there a risk for farmers?
Based on seed sales to date, horticulture input suppliers expect carrot plantings for 2023 to increase by at least 10-15%. However, early carrot varieties are usually sown in the country at the

Sicilian fresh and preserved tomato made the most out of the fair in Berlin
"The main goal is to find new customers or to retain the loyalty of current ones, but also to approach new markets and compare ourselves to potential new competitors," said Giuseppe Morana, owner

Windbound Port of Cape Town not operational since Tuesday
Cape Town is no stranger to wind during summer, in particular the dry Southeasterly wind colloquially called the Cape Doctor. Capetonians say it has been blowing stronger than usual this year, as