Costa Group receives takeover bid
Leading Australian fresh produce company Costa Group has received a buyout proposal from private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners (PSP). According to an announcement from Costa, PSP issued an

UK-AU Free Trade Agreement will help Australian onions be more competitive, but will be subject to UK production
The Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement came into force on 31 May 2023 and will end tariffs on more than 99% of Australian exports to the UK. Fruit, vegetable and nut exports from

Finding tech solutions to labour problem
Training fruit pickers using virtual reality equipment, employing robots to move fruit containers and wearing exoskeletons to support physical labour are all possibilities being considered by

Eyeing a future where fruit pickers are trained by virtual reality
Training fruit pickers using virtual reality equipment, employing robots to move fruit containers, and wearing exoskeletons to support physical labor are all possibilities being considered by

Australia: Lowest producer prices for macadamias in over a decade
Australian macadamia growers are facing an unprecedented market situation, helped by reduced demand and a rapidly growing global supply. The Australian Macadamia Society (AMS) now informed about

US investor puts in takeover bid - valuing Costa Group at $1.6 billion
Yesterday, Australia’s Costa Group said it would give US private equity Paine Schwartz Partners (PSP) access to its books after a A$1.39 billion ($927.41 million) indicative offer for shares it

Little Gem and Havana prove value for Perfection
Perfection Fresh’s approach to offering more choices for growers and consumers has been highlighted in its banana category as the wider Australian industry battles the spread of Panama TR4

Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement leads to tariff cuts for Australian onions
Europe’s current high onion prices are driven by the heatwave and drought in last summer’s growing season. Tariff cuts under the A-UKFTA, which came into effect on 31 May 2023, are enabling

Australian Working Holiday Maker visa fee to go up by 25% on July 1
Starting July 1, overseas backpackers in Australia will be required to pay an additional €130 for a Working Holiday Maker visa to Australia. So far, the cost was €510. However, as soon as the

Australian macadamia crop forecast revised down by 11%
The 2023 Australian macadamia crop forecast has been revised down by 11% from 60,000 tonnes in-shell to 53,160 tonnes in-shell at 3.5% moisture (from 64,400 to 57,000 tonnes in-shell at 10%

Major milestone in Australia's management of banana Panama TR4 disease
Queensland’s ongoing management of Panama disease tropical race 4 (Panama TR4) will be led by the banana industry from 1 July 2023. Panama TR4 was first discovered in Queensland in the Tully

Australian grape season closes with positive results
The Australian grape harvest has come to a close with better results than had been expected at the start of the season. “The harvest season started 3-4 weeks late, which in turn resulted in a

Australia offers citrus supply to U.S. during counter season
As the counter season for Citrus in the U.S. is underway, the demand for Southern Hemisphere citrus is high. Latin America and South Africa have been the go-to sources for citrus for the US market