Greetings from International Tropical Fruits Network (TFNet) and welcome to our first issue of the TFNet e-Newsletter.

It is our pleasure to announce that the TFNet e-Newsletter will be published and distributed six times a year. We believe that this will allow us to communicate better with our members and others who are linked to the network. This will also beat the cost of printing and distributing of our traditional printed newsletter.

For our first issue we highlight a paper on pitaya by Ms. Tran Thanh Phong from Extension Section, DOA, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam which was presented at our pitaya seminar last year, an articles on superfruits by Dr. Osman, TFNet’s information officer and Mr. Kit Chan, a TFNet board member.

We would like to remind all to participate in our big event for this year, that is the International seminar on recent developments in the production, post harvest management and trade of minor tropical fruits’ and TFNet’s 4th General Assembly from 18 – 20 August 2009.

Secondly, all members are reminded to respond to the “Members Satisfaction Survey” which has been sent out to you all quite recently via email. Please act promptly by answering this important survey and of course send it back to the secretariat for further action. It is our earnest hope that the result of this survey can be presented for the benefit of all members during TFNet 4th General Assembly that will be held on 20th August 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

We also would like to invite more to contribute ideas and comments on our fruit blog which we created on our website www.itfnet.org.