A partnership deal with an entertainment firm has sparked a surge in the sales of JAZZ™ Apples. JAZZ™ Apples and DreamWorks Animation teamed up for a wildly successful partnership this past spring with the cross promotion of the release of the film, Spirit Untamed. The result was an unprecedented sales surge for JAZZ™ thanks to a strong in-store and online presence. JAZZ™ apples jumped numerous positions in the Total Apple sales ranking by category, with an outstanding +19.7% growth in dollar sales, and +18.6% growth in volume for the 24-week period ending June 19, 2021. There was also an impressive increase…
Author: Akpan Akata
Apple volumes in Europe are set to rise by 10 percent, while pear supplies are expected to tumble by 28 percent. This shows that there is a mixed outlook for the production of the two fruits this 2021. This is as the US Food Labeling Modernisation Act (FLMA) has been introduced in both houses of Congress. If passed, it will update front-of-pack food labeling requirements, demand updates to the ingredient list on packaged foods and apply consumer-friendly labeling requirements. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, Frank Pallone, Jr. says “American consumers have a right to know what’s in the food…
EW Button & Son, a Cornish potato grower has installed the new grading system to scale-up its towering image in the sector. Following a sales spike in 2020, the company owner, Joe Button, asked potato and vegetable machinery specialist, Haith, to design and install a new grading system based on a recommendation from a neighbour. Button invested in a purpose-built grading facility for his early season and ware crops to keep pace with rising demand. The line can handle 30 tonnes per hour and features Haith’s latest innovations. Potatoes are tipped directly from the tractor-trailer into a 2.4m-wide Haith Supa-Flow Bulker…
In the first few months of this 2021, Colombian avocado exports experienced soaring growth, nearly doubling year-on-year from January through May. This is even as a month-long protests and roadblocks in the country impacted the agricultural industry. Insiders say it affected the industry’s ability to control and monitor for pests and diseases, leading to crop loss, and disrupting port operations. Widespread protests began at the end of April in opposition to a now-withdrawn tax reform but have since expanded to call for a basic income, opportunities for young people and to end police violence. Chief of the Colombian Agricultural Institute…
In Tanzania, all District Councils growing avocado are to establish nurseries for the production of seedlings to be distributed to farmers freely, the country’s Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, has directed This is as Westfalia Colombia, part of the global Westfalia Fruit Group known as AvoExperts, has successfully exported Colombian Hass avocados to South Korea for the first time. General Manager of Westfalia Colombia, Pedro Aguilar, says “we are very proud to be the first Colombian avocados to be available in South Korea. As a team, we have worked closely with the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) and the Korean Government to ensure…
Over the coming weeks, huge volumes of British cherries are expected to hit UK supermarket shelves after the recent hot weather led to a bumper crop. A BBC report says a cold and rainy spring had threatened this year’s output, but growers are now celebrating a massive yield. UK’s largest cherry grower, Lee Turner, from Kent-based FGA Farming, said the UK was now looking at an “abundance of super sweet cherries”. While supermarket chain Tesco said it had taken on an extra 115 metric tons (MT) of the fruit to avoid them going to waste, the bulk of the sudden…
An overwhelming popularity of a new apple variety is currently causing some challenges. ‘PremA280’ apple is a new apple variety bred by New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research, owned by Prevar Limited of New Zealand. The variety has great commercial potential in China as initial consumer feedback in various regions has been extremely positive. Market demand grows stronger every year. Spokesperson for the China office of Shenzhen SVM Variety Management Limited, Ms. LIANG Chang, recently talked about the unique characteristics of the new variety ‘PremA280’, its market prospects, and the challenges that followed ‘overwhelming popularity’ in the Chinese…
Imida has showcased more than 60 traditional varieties of melon preserved in its Germplasm Bank. Murcian Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Development made it possible. The Institute held an exhibition of traditional melon varieties at its facilities in La Alberca, all of which were preserved in its Germplasm Bank (Bagerim). This exhibition included the main types of melon (such as Tendral, Piel de Sapo, Amarillo, Rochet, and Cantaloup, among others), most of them originating in the Region of Murcia. Minister of the Environment, Antonio Luengo, said “the purpose of this exhibition has been to publicise and make known…
Tanzania’s non-chemical fertiliser is currently gaining ground just as the government of Zimbabwe is pressing on with its ambitious plan to revolutionise rural agriculture. If the plan succeeds, it could see remote areas of the country being transformed into exotic fruit production hubs. Under the plan, each family will receive 10 saplings of apple, granadilla, pecan nuts, apple, guava, mango, lemon, avocado pears and macadamia trees. Information Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, said the government has considered and approved a report on the State of Preparedness for the 2021-2022 Agricultural Season. “The nation is advised that the 2021-2022 season will witness the…
Egypt is busy consolidating itself as the world’s leading exporter of Valencia orange. The African country took the position away from Spain to become the world’s largest exporter of oranges. Despite the fact that 95% of Egypt’s surface is desert, the country has nearly 168,000 hectares of orange trees spread through its arid geography as if they were a mirage; and not only in areas of the Nile delta, since 60% of them are located in reclaimed desert areas. The orange is the most cultivated citrus in the country, accounting for 80% of the total citrus production, and the Valencia…
After a brutal summer that saw a record-breaking heat wave followed by a statewide drought emergency, fruit farmers in the US state of Washington are expecting losses in the millions of dollars. The Bellingham Herald reports that berry farmers were particularly impacted by the heat, but the tree fruit, wine grape and potato industries were also heavily affected. Already, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering financial assistance to farmers in drought-designated counties, 14 of which were recently added in Washington state. Growers in drought-designated areas are generally eligible for USDA emergency loans if they have seen crop losses of at…
France has unleashed its wrath on a German firm, Monsanto that was formerly a US company. Local media reports say personal data protection agency fined Monsanto for illegally compiling files of public figures, journalists and activists with the aim of swaying opinion towards support for its controversial pesticides. Monsanto was an agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Its best known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed in the 1970s. Later the company became a major producer of genetically engineered crops. In 2018, the company ranked 199th on the Fortune 500 of the largest…
Mexican fruit and vegetable exports into the US are growing in volume. A data by the Agricultural Markets Consultant Group, in the first four months of 2021, says the export trade grew by 13.3%. The value of those exports was up by 13.5% compared to the same time period from the previous year. Crops that are important to Florida growers saw volume increases. Strawberries were up 16.3%. Green tomatoes were up 15.7%. Red tomatoes increased by 14.3%. Strawberries, grapefruit, avocados, tomatoes, and watermelon also saw gains in the value of Mexico exports into the U.S. Executive Vice President of the…
Turkey’s frozen fruit and vegetables sector is currently setting eyes on a target of $250 million yearly exports. This is because the country saw a 32 percent increase In the first half of this 2021, with the global demand for the products soaring amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to data by the Aegean Exporters’ Association, Turkey’s exports of fresh fruit and vegetables increased by 20 percent from $777 million to $936 million in the January-June period. In the sector, where dozens of products are exported from carbonated drinks to fruit juice and from pickles to tomato paste, the export of…
The start of the UK blueberry season has been marked by promoting the benefits of eating blueberries. Love Fresh Berries, the marketing campaign behind grower organisation British Summer Fruits, is promoting that. According to the group, science shows blueberries can boost happiness, immunity, a healthier heart, cognitive function and have anti-ageing properties. Continuing, it says, “blueberries increase the brain’s production of feel-good dopamine, a natural neurotransmitter that can make us feel happy. Blueberries are full to the brim with antioxidants, nutrients and vitamins. Eating them is one of the easiest ways to give your immune system a boost.” The super…
A Royal Gala apple cross-pollinated with a Braeburn apple to produce a lemon-yellow coloured apple is currently in high demand in the US. But, supplies of the Lemonade apples from New Zealand are down this season. Los Angeles dealer, Jason Bushong, says “we’re in the really early stages of the variety primarily out of New Zealand and unfortunately there’s less volume this year. It’s all apples this year from New Zealand. The growing season there produced small fruit size across all varieties so the total production is down.” Additionally, as many importers across the US know, accessing containers and vessel…
Washington waiting to find out how the recent heat wave affected its apples The number of ships anchored in San Pedro Bay, waiting to enter the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, are on the increase again as Washington is waiting for heat wave effects on the 2021 apple crop. Following the heat wave that covered large parts of the Pacific Northwest, the Washington apple industry is waiting to find out how the 2021 apple crop is affected. Vice-President of marketing for CMI Orchards based in Wenatchee, WA, George Harter, says “We’ve had record temperatures here in the Wenatchee…
As shipping container costs continue to rise concerns that the international shipping crisis will get worse for US agricultural exports before it gets better are pertinent again. Incentives to “dead-head” empty containers to Asia for quicker turnaround are at the root of these concerns. This is as University of Namibia graduate, Abner Ndakalako Tomas, is determined to realise his dream of producing mushrooms on a larger scale to feed the formal markets. He is a holder of a Master’s degree in Microbiology. Tomas owns a company called Ndaka Mushrooms, which he started in 2020. Since then, he has been producing…
International Institute for Environment and Development’s (IIED) Climate Change research group Principal Researcher, Tracy Kajumba, the Organiser of the Dilemmas of Development webinar series, Daniela Nemeti Baba, are advocating for rethinking research and development approaches from a de-colonisation perspective. In a blog on IIED, the duo said, ‘’we need to continuously reassess and reconsider positionality, social justice and power relations with the purpose of tackling challenges, contradictions and conflicts in the field of research and development.’’ According to them, the notion of colonial rule is often associated with the past. But dominant western power structures with roots in colonisation continue…
A study looking for additional sources of resistance to the deadly fungal disease of banana, black Sigatoka, has identified 11 new accessions that are potential sources of resistance to Pseudocercospora fijiensis. These accessions are from a collection of banana germplasm maintained by International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) at Sendusu, Wakiso District in Uganda. They can be used to broaden the current narrow genetic base for ongoing efforts to breed bananas with resistance to the disease. Black Sigatoka, caused by P. fijiensis, is one of the most devastating banana diseases. In commercial banana-growing systems, black Sigatoka is primarily managed using…
United Producers of Mexico (UPM) is busy connecting buyers and sellers in the second edition of the Avocado & Citrus Forum 2021.This is as the season for avocados from Mexico in the European market is off to a strong start and the citrus season is in full swing. In 2019, importers and exporters that were present at the first avocado forum, held in the stately Schielandhuis in Rotterdam, were the audience for whom the UMP wants to realise a direct connection between Mexico and the Netherlands. UPM believes the collaboration with the concerned parties is important for their project, which…
Horticulture, an aspect of agriculture practiced by millions of youths across Africa, is currently helping to improve the livelihoods of a vast majority living in poverty and struggling to find employment. The continent hosts the world’s youngest population of around 200 million youths aged 15–24 years, with many of them in rural areas engaging in farming activities as a key source of livelihood. Stakeholders have listed agriculture as a major tool for economic growth and food security, serving as an approach to addressing Africa’s youth unemployment crisis. Although opportunities abound in the sector, they are still unrecognized and inaccessible to…
The current unrest in many parts of South Africa, and a lower avocado harvest have caused a disappointing season as the global market for the fruit is generally good. Its popularity has continued to rise across the board, with many countries seeing good prices for both locally grown and imported avocados. In some areas, the rest of the season is still unpredictable, as hospitality reopens in the UK and countries such as the Netherlands hope that those missing holidays abroad this year will buy avocados as they remain at home. The Netherlands Hass avocados are not expensive at the moment,…
For Polish apple growers, this appears to be a good season. The new harvest for their produce appears to be safe from extreme weather conditions. One exporter says there have been no unpleasant surprises in terms of weather the past weeks, which should mean volumes will be slightly higher. The weather has been nice for Polish apple growers. Mateusz Wajnert, Head of Sales for Polish apple exporter Galster, says orchards avoided potential major damages leading up to the new season. “So far, we’re rather optimistic regarding the situation in our orchards. We’re doing our best to take care of our…
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, farmers are prefering locally bred Control Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD)-resistant cassava clones. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding the CBSD project. The farmers’ verdict came at a recent Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS) to evaluate the CBSD-tolerant cassava clones currently on trial. The PVS took place in the Ruzizi Plain. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is implementing the project in partnership with the National Institute for Agronomic Study and Research (INERA) to counter CBSD, a disease that causes significant damage to cassava production in DR Congo. This evaluation follows…
Australian sweet potatoes are currently having impressive showing in the market. The last three months saw the start of the traditional dry season in the Bundaberg region of Australia. But, the growing programme at Sweet Potatoes Australia went ahead as planned this season. Robert Doyle who handles global sales at the company says, “we have plenty of access to water with our water allocations remaining at 100% and the region is experiencing normal climate and weather patterns – conditions have been good for growing. “It’s been quite typical that we have had the expected range of sizes (large, medium and…
Nigeria and Togo are currently battling to achieve Zero Hunger. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is driving the process for the two countries. Ahead of the launch of the new Zero Hunger Project, IITA, in partnership with AfricaRice, held separate meetings with government stakeholders from Nigeria and Togo. IITA says Zero Hunger Project team held consultations on June 18 and 22, and July 1 with representatives from Benue, Ogun, and Ebonyi states, respectively. The three-year Zero Hunger Project, funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), will contribute to the Zero Hunger Initiatives (ZHI) within the rice…
World Food Programme (WFP) convoy of 50 trucks arrived the Tigrayan capital of Mekelle on Monday with 900 metric tons of food as well as other emergency supplies. But, double this number of trucks needs to be moving in every day to meet the vast humanitarian needs in the region. With almost four million people in need of emergency food assistance in Tigray, WFP needs to transport over 10,000 metric tons of food and 150,000 litres of fuel every week on behalf of the humanitarian sector. “WFP welcomes clearance from the Government of Ethiopia for this convoy’s safe passage into…
United Nations says there was a dramatic worsening of world hunger last year, much of it likely related to the fallout of COVID-19. While the pandemic’s impact is yet to be fully mapped, a multi-agency report estimates that around a tenth of the global population – up to 811 million people – were undernourished last year. The number suggests it will take a tremendous effort for the world to honour its pledge to end hunger by 2030. This year’s edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is the first global assessment of its kind in…
The British onion season is transitioning from last season’s to the new crop as the quality of Moroccan grapes is currently rated as ”excellent”.. Managing Director of Macalea GmbH & Co KG, based in Hamburg, Herbert Scholdei, says “about two weeks ago, the season of Moroccan grape began. The quality is excellent. ”Prices are still a bit depressed by the Indian goods. That, as they say, also always depends on supply and demand. With less supply and higher demand, there are naturally higher prices.” The company is represented in more than 12 countries with its conventional and organic products. “Italian grapes,…
