December 2014

By Roshni Mahesh, International Business Times   Fruit consumption has a direct impact on depression levels in human beings, according to a new Australian study.   The University of Queensland study found that eating less than the recommend two servings of fruits a day increased the risk of depression in participants, mainly inContinue Reading

Vietnam has decided to suspend imports of fruits from Australia for concerns over fruit fly, according to the Department of Plant Protection under Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Wednesday.   Nguyen Xuan Hong, director of the department, said imports of all 38 kinds of Australian fruits willContinue Reading

The European Union has removed tariffs on strategic Philippines exports.   In its plenary meeting Thursday, December 18, the European Parliament completed the process to grant the country’s request for inclusion in the European Union’s (EU) General System of Preferences Plus (GSP+).   It was reported on December 12 that theContinue Reading

By Zara Margolis, ABC Rural   It’s harvest time for lychees on Queensland’s Capricorn Coast.   Ian Groves and his family have been growing tropical fruit on their Bungundarra property since the early 1980s, including lychees, mangoes, and avocadoes.     For the next eight or nine weeks, the GrovesContinue Reading

By Nadine Freischlad, The Jakarta Globe   At the Startup Battle event at Asia Conference in Jakarta on Thursday, I was captivated by the pitch of a company called iGrow. In The Battle, nine early-stage startups compete against each other in front of a panel of judges for a $ 10,000Continue Reading

By Bridget Fitzgerald, ABC Rural   Researchers say the genetic traits of a Chinese fruit could help develop resilient crop varieties in Australia.   A team of scientists from the University of Western Australia worked with colleagues in China to sequence the jujube fruit genome for the first time.  Continue Reading

By Naveena Kottoor, BBC News   In many countries around the world, bananas are among the cheapest type of fruit available. Not in Tunisia.   Bananas here are about 30% more expensive than in the UK and according to a World Bank study, bananas were in the top 10 smuggled goodsContinue Reading

by Holly Robertson and Neou Vannarin, The Cambodian Daily   International experts regularly touch down in Cambodia, usually to host seminars and workshops or impart knowledge to locals.   But Australian researchers have just wrapped up a field visit of a different kind to Battambang, Kompong Speu and Kandal provinces,Continue Reading

The lychee season began in November and will last for about 8 weeks. Madagascar expects to export 17,000 tons this year, compared to 18,000 tons in 2013-2014 and 17,500 tons in 2012-2013.  According to the figures, Malagasy lychee exports have tended to decrease over the last few years.  Malagasy lycheeContinue Reading

by Tim Sandle, Digital Journal   Redbay ambrosia beetles carry laurel wilt disease and they are a serious threat to avocado trees. To combat this, a research group seem to have found a biological control to eliminate the beetles.   Red ambrosia beetles bore holes in trees and carry with themContinue Reading