TFNet facilitated a study visit with organizing partner, SOFRI or the Southern Horticultural Research Centre of Vietnam, for officers from the Department of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture, Indonesia to the Mekong Delta, South Vietnam from 6 - 9 December 2013...

The term “superfruit” refers to fruits that are purported to have exceptional nutritional benefits. Popular examples include pomegranate, mangosteen, acai berry, blackberry, blueberry, and cranberry. Being classified as food, instead of pharmaceuticals, entrepreneurs can freely market superfruit products without the need for rigorous clinical trials. The lack of standardized double-blinded trials leaves the medical and scientific community with a certain amount of skepticism. However, the literature is robust and expanding: epidemiological evidence and studies suggest that superfruits have positive effects such as maintaining health, increasing longevity, and providing immuno-protective benefits against a broad spectrum of chronic diseases...

Health and wellness drive the global product development in the superfood industry. A wide spectrum of issues, from obesity to undernutrition, leads the demand for healthier foods. Certain consumer groups are also open to new kinds of indulgence, instigating the race to develop new exotic flavors and authentic regional products. Due to its inherent nutritional and bioactive content, superfruits are at the forefront of this health and wellness industry: products from fruits such as pomegranate, blueberry, acai, mangosteen, and baobab command a premium price for their claimed beneficial effects...

China is one of the major countries planting genetically modified (GM) crops, but only the papaya is on the market as edible GM farm products (processed products not included), as reported by people.cn, citing Chen Xiwen, office director of China’s Central Rural Work Leading Group. Chen said the rumor that some tomatoes, chilis, and vegetables on the market were genetically modified was untrue, and the major GM crop in China was cotton. Currently, research on transgenic breeding is mainly aimed at enhancing crops’ resistance to pests to cut the use of pesticides and protect the environment, according to Chen. Whether GM foods should be on the market has sparked an enormous controversy in China, as well as outside China...

Research conducted by the Fiji Papaya Project has resulted in the development of a hot water treatment process that has achieved notable results in reducing diseases on export papaya fruit. The hot water treatment complements the High Temperature Forced Air Treatment (HFTA) that is currently being used. The tests, conducted at Nadi-based export crop treatment plant Nature’s Way Cooperative, has been lauded as a huge boost for papaya exports. Nature’s Way CEO Michael Brown said the development of the equipment was proof that the research and extension service established by the co-op was reaping positive rewards for local exporters...

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is moving to allow the importation of fresh bananas from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands. In a statement on its web site on January 28, the USDA said it is “proposing to amend the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables” to allow the importation of fresh bananas from the Philippines” into these markets. The US farm regulator added comments on the proposal would be accepted until the end of March. The USDA said about 4.1 million metric tons (MT) of bananas are currently imported into the US annually. In 2011 Hawaii’s banana harvest totaled about 7,900 MT compared to US imports of about 4.1 million MT...

AUSTRALIA: New Zealand fruit fly presence causes alarm

New Zealand’s fresh produce industry is on high biosecurity alert, following the discovery of a singular male Queensland fruit fly in the country’s north island. The fly was collected from a surveillance trap set in a residential street in Whangarei on Tuesday. The find has sparked a large-scale reaction from New Zealand quarantine officials, with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) stationing close to 50 officers in the northern city to determine if an infestation has arisen...

INDIA: Israeli technology increases guava yield

The cultivation of guava in and around the city has seen a multifold increase with the introduction of an Israeli technique of orchard farming. District horticulture officer Pankaj Kumar Shukla spoke about the pilot project which has been successfully implemented in Maharashtra. It was introduced in some of the villages of Allahabad district in 2008. “The technique is being practiced in Bhajhan Mitran village of Saidabad block, Korapur village of Phulpur block and some villages of Koraon and Jasra blocks,” he said. In all, around 40 farmers of these blocks have planted the orchards on a total area of over 40 hectares...

INDIA: Halting papaya pest saved over $300M

A natural pest-control plan from US-based Virginia Tech that halted the papaya mealybug – that created havoc in southern India causing mold and stunted growth of several crops – has saved up to $309 million in the first year itself. For a relatively modest cost of $200,000 during the first year of the intervention, financial loss that would have crossed $1.34 billion over five years has been prevented, said researchers from Virginia Tech. Led by an Indian-origin crop scientist Rangaswamy ‘Muni’ Muniappan, the Virginia Tech team first discovered this devastating papaya pest – called paracoccus marginatus – in India in 2008 and devised a natural way to combat it...

INDIA: Pineapple farmers seek better deal

As the government has finalised the plan to take over the Agro Processing Factory at Nadukkara near Vazhakkulam by raising its stake to 51 per cent, pineapple farmers demand that they also be given a better deal by enhancing the procurement price from the current Rs 12 a kg to Rs 16 a kg.The demand came at Pineapple Utsav 2014, the biennial three-day festival at Vazhakkulam near Muvattupuzha, which concluded on Monday. “With pineapple starting to get a market price of Rs 22-23 a kg in the last one week, the Pineapple Mission under the government should raise the procurement price,”...

PHILIPPINES: Singapore Exchange OKs Del Monte Pacific plan to buy Del Monte-US

Food conglomerate Del Monte Pacific Ltd. has obtained approval in-principle from Singapore Exchange Ltd. to pursue the acquisition of the consumer food business of privately held American corporation Del Monte Foods. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Thursday, DMPL said the approval-in-principle granted by the SGX-ST was subject to the following: compliance with the SGX-ST’s listing requirements; shareholders’ approval being obtained for the proposed acquisition; and submission of documentary requirements...

MEXICO: Gov’t amends measures to protect bananas from moko disease

To protect the banana-producing areas in Mexico, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) amended the phytosanitary measures to combat moko disease and prevent further dissemination. The amendments were published as the Official Mexican Standard NOM-068-PHYTO-2000 on the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF), which are open to stakeholders for public consultation. Banana producers that occupy a total 75,337 ha in Campeche, Colima, Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, Estado de Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Yucatan will benefit from the phytosanitary measures...

MEXICO: Asian markets ripen for Mexican avocados

Leading Mexican avocado exporter Mission Produce is crediting Maersk Line’s latest controlled atmosphere (CA) system with extending the shelf life of its offering in Asian markets. Ideally, Mission avocados arrive in the Far East with a shelf life of around 10 days. The company’s sales export manager Roberto Rodriguez said this can only be achieved through efficient CA management, with Maersk’s Star Cool CA reefer containers currently the best cold chain solution on the market. “Our experience is that the Star Cool CA system provides the longest shelf life and highest reliability compared to other CA systems on the market,” Rodriguez said...

THAILAND: Fruit prices likely to increase during Chinese New Year

An inspection in Trang’s fresh markets has indicated that fruit may see an increase in prices during the upcoming Chinese New Year. Fruit vendors at the fresh market in Trang province have been providing a wide selection of various types of fruit to cater to the needs of consumers, especially with the Chinese New Year drawing near, when customers often shop for fruit for ceremonial occasions, such as oranges, watermelons, dragon fruits, pears, guavas and longans, of which the prices at the moment are in line with the general market. However, the prices may hike prior to the upcoming Chinese New year...

COLUMBIA: Regional govt slates US$6M for avocado development

Colombia’s regional department governments have autonomy to spend natural resource royalties as they please, whether it be on schools, highways or building houses, but the government of Antioquia has decided to invest in something quite different – avocados.Antioquia Avocado Corporation (CORPOAGUACATE) executive director Juan Camilo Ruiz told freshfruitportal the department government has slated COP10 billion (US$6 million) for a variety of avocado projects over three years, ranging from rootstock investigation to grower certification...

MEXICO: Researchers develop a new way to detect ringspot virus

As one of the leading papaya growers in the world, the prevalence of papaya ringspot virus is a constant concern. The virus leaves ring-shaped marks on the skin of the fruit, causes the flesh and skin to soften, and leaves it vulnerable to fungal growth. More than 80% of the fruits are exported to the United States, according to the Mexican Association Industry of Plant Sanitation (AMIFAC). Europe and Asia are possible markets for 2014, requiring compliance to different phytosanitary requirements such as being free of microorganisms and having the a high-quality appearance...