“There is definitely an increase in kiwiberry consumption”
The kiwiberry is gaining popularity and consumers who try it usually come back for seconds, says Ricardo Machado, export manager of berries for Portuguese berry trader Minikiwi Farm: “We expect

"The sales figures in the organic food trade are almost comparable to 2019 again"
During the pandemic, organic products, not least organic apples, experienced a great deal of hype, but this came to an abrupt halt with the war in Ukraine. "Consumers are definitely buying more

Blueberry in bloom (monitoring of plantations, Lublin region 09.05.2023)
The phenological phase of highbush blueberry plants was determined for three cultivars of different earliness: 'Duke' (early), 'Bluecrop' (medium) and 'Last Call' (late) on a plantation located in

Vegetable supplies looking good as winter approaches but weather still the wild card
Vegetables New Zealand says vegetable supplies are looking good as winter approaches but ongoing unsettled weather across the country is still the wild card. ‘The weather’s been warm and wet

Garlic growers upset due to yellow rust disease
Garlic farmers are worried about the yellow rust disease in the Rajgarh area (Sirmaur District, Himachal Pradesh) as the harvest is approaching. They claim the disease is taking a heavy toll of

Great May Day with Timac Agro Polska
A great Timac Agro May Day was held in Serock, near Warsaw, on 8 May. Farmers supplying the company's fertilisers received an invitation. The meeting was attended by approximately 700 growers. The

"From May to July, it is now impossible to do without Italian onions"
This year's marketing season of Italian onions is now in the starting blocks. In a good two weeks, starting on May 24, the first products from the southern Italian growing region will be

Lemon exports pull ahead of last year
The South African lemon harvest which started three to four weeks earlier than last year has resulted in accelerated exports: by week 17, exactly two million cartons (15kg) more than last year YTD

European Sustainability Forum: Fact check on sustainable concepts at event premiere
First the years-long pandemic, then record inflation as a result of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. The consumer climate remains clouded in the wake of inflation, and the fact that fruit

Indian farmer producer organizations successfully export watermelons to Dubai
Indian watermelons are earning a premium over those from Iran in Dubai with a few farmer producer organizations (FPOs) beginning to ship the fruit to the United Arab Emirates. Mukesh Singh,

Nursery production, QVI label improves orchard quality
"Only with higher quality plants will the new plantings by Italian (and other) fruit growers be able to guarantee the desired economic results; the QVI mark (Qualità Vivaistica Italia)

Ondine flat nectarines are in the starting blocks
Summer can come - and this year it brings juicy news: "We believe in Ondine because the quality of our flat nectarines and peaches is simply so high," stressed Matteo Mazzoni of the Italian

“We'll increase our production capacity by 35% and seek to continue growing in exports”
Tropical Millenium, one of Spain's leading avocado, mango, papaya, and pitaya producers and marketers, has just appointed Ramon Ojeda as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Ojeda is a graduate

Latvian fruit growers lose harvest due to cold spring
Last weekend, in some places in Latvia, the temperature at night dropped to -7 C. Many berry and fruit farms confirmed yield losses of up to 80%-90%. The industry association plans to turn to the

2024 Conference of the World Union of Wholesale will take place in Rimini
It's official: the 2024 Conference of the World Union of Wholesale (WUWM) will take place in Rimini. It's a significant result for the whole city, and the fruit of the work of CAAR (Centro Agro

Fyffes opens Costa Rica packhouse
Fyffes has continued to invest in its own banana production in Costa Rica by building a new packhouse at its farm Victoria in Sarapiqui de Heredia, Costa Rica. According to the group, the new

New Marlene® apple promotion: The Aroma Wheel
A tool that highlights the variety of aromas and flavours of Marlene® apples together with five international chefs who embody the values of their origin, sustainability and quality. It is the

"Europe has been key for the good results achieved by Peruvian avocado so far in 2023"
In the first months of the campaign, Peru exported 166,790 tons of avocado worth 308 million dollars, i.e. 32% more volume and 40% more value than in the same period of the previous campaign. The

"In Extremadura, we have been lucky that this year the flowering has been delayed in all the trees"
The Spanish stone fruit season is starting in Extremadura, where Frutas Biomova has just begun harvesting its biodynamic fruit. "We are going to have good production volumes of all fruits, except

Cucumber pricing remains difficult, including organic
The cucumber price continues to hover at low levels. In week 18, the average price dropped slightly again after a small rebound of the average price in week 17. With an average price of 12.7 euro

"It neither reduces food waste nor increases the shelf life of the products"
The German Fruit Trade Association (DFHV) has sharply criticized the EU's planned ban on fruit and vegetable packaging. "Such a ban is counterproductive, as it neither reduces food waste nor

Gene-editing trial reaches potatoes
Researcher Daniel Moñino-López of Wageningen University (Netherlands) has used this technique to modify resistance genes susceptible to late blight (downy mildew) by genetic variants in wild

Easier credit: Intesa Sanpaolo provides 15 million euros to La Linea Verde-Dimmidisì
Intesa Sanpaolo has made EUR 15 million available to Linea Verde, the DimmidiSì brand, for a confirming operation. The facility allows cash from the sales of fruit and vegetables to be advanced