CHINA: iFresh Shanghai Fru&Veg Expo

The iFresh Shanghai Fru&Veg Expo, to be held in Shanghai International Exhibition Center, China on 12-14 June 2014, is the only professional trade exhibition in mainland China for the producers, distributors, service providers and retailers of fresh fruit and vegetables. Organized by the iFresh Information Ltd, China Fruit Marketing Association, and China Vegetable Marketing Association, iFresh Shanghai focuses on the trade matching of fresh fruit and vegetables and fresh technology presentations. iFresh is committed to help connect growers and agencies to large buyers, as well as introducing advanced technologies to stakeholders...

NIGERIA: Plantain extract treats ulcers, diabetes

Grown throughout the tropical regions of the world, the plantain is a close relative of the banana, making important contributor to the economy of many countries. The nutritional value of unripe plantain makes it stand out as a very important addition to any healthy living diet plan due to its nutrient content. Practitioners of traditional medicine have long prized the starchy fruit for its medicinal properties, which reputedly include an ability to cure ulcer...

INDONESIA: Govt to double import of fruit, vegetables in H1

In a bid to meet rising domestic demand, the government will more than double the import volume of fruit and vegetables in 2014 from last year. Trade Ministry director-general for foreign trade Bachrul Chairi confirmed that the government would allow the import of 17 horticulture products, including apples, mangoes, oranges, potatoes, chilies and shallots, tentatively totaling 600,000 tons in the first half of 2014, up 130.8 percent from 260,000 tons in the same period last year...

MALAYSIA: Drop in supply of oranges from China sees costs up 40%

Consumers have to bear the brunt of price increases as traders are forced to hike the prices of mandarin oranges by as much as 40 per cent, following a supply shortage from China. Checks by The Malay Mail in SS2 Petaling Jaya, Kepong and Selayang showed a decrease in sales of the popular Chinese New Year festive giveaway. The prices of oranges ranged from RM10 to RM21.80 a box, depending on size and quality. Trader Lau Choon Yong said prices had gone up by between 20 and 40 per cent. “There’s limited stock in China, that is why it is so expensive,” he said...

INDIA: Climate change comes calling at Kerala’s ‘mango city’

Farmers of Muthalamada grama panchayat here are probably the first victims of climate change in the State. The late flowering of mango trees has deprived them of the early-bird advantage in the Rs.300-crore export market. There are nearly 3,000 mango farmers in Muthalamada, known as the ‘mango city’. Flowers bloomed late last year due to the heavy southwest monsoon and the previous year owing to severe drought...

AUSTRALIA: Tough mango season for Carnarvon growers

It’s been a tough mango season for growers in Carnarvon, in WA’s north-west. Grower Eddie Smith from Calypso Plantations is right in the thick of picking his crop but water restrictions and two heatwave events late last year have meant quite a lot of his fruit was burnt. “We’ve got through all our R2E2s, we finished picking those three days ago. We were down 35 per cent this year,” he said...

VIETNAM: Dong Nai’s fruit exports to Japan get juicy

A co-operative in the southern province of Dong Nai will supply unlimited amounts of durians and rambutans to Japan’s Aeon supermarket chain in 2014. This was agreed upon after a long-term contract was recently signed by the representatives of the Xuan Thanh agricultural service co-operative and Aeon supermarket. The Japanese had earlier embarked on a fact-finding tour to Dong Nai to study the local farming techniques and had decided to purchase durians for VND35,000-40,000 per kilo and rambutans for VND12,000-13,000 per kilo, at marginally higher prices than in the domestic market...

VIETNAM: Fruit farmers prepare for Lunar New Year

Farmers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, the country’s largest fruit cultivation area, are busy preparing speciality fruits for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) festival, which begins on January 31. Hoa Loc mango, Nam Roi grapefruit and Lai Vung pink mandarin are among the most in demand. Nguyen Van Nghia, who planted 5,000sq.m of Nam Roi grapefruit in Vinh Long Province’s Binh Minh District, said he expected to harvest about four to five tonnes of grapefruits a few days before Tet...

PHILIPPINES: Fruit vendors feel Typhoon Haiyan’s brunt

SUPER typhoon Yolanda, which devastated parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, was the reason fruit vendors are earning less this year. “Yolanda is the reason why we have low sales after Christmas to New Year,” said Rachel Jaca, a fruit vendor at Cogon market. She added that most of the consumers’ cash was probably donated to the survivors of Yolanda in the Visayas. Jaca said the buyers in the city could have been more inclined donating their money to help those affected by Yolanda to recover from their dire situation. They rather opted not spend on capricious parties and dinners this New Year...

PHILIPPINES: Banana, pineapple, and fresh fruit shared services facilities set up in Davao

Eight shared service facilities (SSF) have so far been turned over to various business groups in Davao Region last year, in a bid to boost their production, the regional office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Davao said. Arnulfo J. Gana-an, DTI-Davao division chief for small and medium enterprises development, said these SSFs included the following...

THAILAND: Locals not eating enough veg and fruit

The diet of the majority of Thai people contains less fruit and vegetables than the minimum level recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure good health, resulting in an increased risk of chronic disease, academics have warned. A report on investment in public health, part of the 10th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2007-2011), concluded that at least 75% of Thai people consumed less than 400 grams a day of vegetables and fruit – the minimum WHO recommendation...

KENYA: Avocado farmer looks to go organic

A Kenyan farmer is readying his business to export this season’s avocado crop earmarked for European shipment over the coming weeks. Although Wilberforce Ngugi has high expectations from his latest Hass crop, the Nairobi grower and exporter knows he must do more to compete with larger corporations and South American rivals. We caught up with him as he prepares to start his fruit export schedule for 2014. Life as an avocado grower and exporter in Nairobi has been challenging for Wilberforce Ngugi who owns and operates Roypack Enterprises...

BRAZIL: Papaya production areas decrease by 16% in 2013

The total area of papaya reduced by 16.1% in 2013 against the previous year, totaling 14,100 acres, continues to decrease year by year. According to employees of the Centre for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics (Cepea), high production costs, mainly labor, have discouraged investments in the last year. Another factor was the high volatility in the market. Although producers remain wary, investments may be higher in 2014, especially in renovation of old plantations. Quotations, although quite volatile, have been above the estimated cost to producers for much of 2013...

GHANA: Citrus farmers to receive training from international organizations

MASHAV, the Israeli Agency of International Development Cooperation, in cooperation with the German GIZ and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) will be training citrus farmers and technical officers of MoFA from the Eastern and Ashanti regions to upgrade their knowledge and enhance their capacity in citrus production. The two-week workshop, which is intended to revitalize the citrus industry through interventions that will attract investments in fruit processing facilities and ultimately generate higher income levels for the citrus growers; will be facilitated by two Israeli citrus experts...

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Fruits, agriculture exports can double

The Dominican Republic can double exports of agricultural goods, which are just over U.S. $ 1,000 million annually, said the engineer Osmar Benitez, CEO of the Dominican Agribusiness Board (JAD). He suggested to the authorities along with producers select 30 agricultural activities each of which can generate at least $ 50 million per year, which would total about U.S. $ 1,500 million...

USA: Deadly bacteria from China threatens Florida citrus industry

The sprawling citrus orchard that Victor Story toured recently sure looked like a steal. For sale at $11,000 an acre, the investors who owned it were going to lose money, and potential buyers like Story might have stood to reap a handsome reward. But as he bumped along the 40 acres of groves in a large SUV, Story was taken aback by the sickly look of the trees. Their leaves were an inch shorter than normal and yellowing. Full-size oranges were still apple green...