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| ISSUE 102: OCTOBER 2026 |  |
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| TFNet Board of Trustees Reviews Progress and 2027 Work Programme |
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| TFNet and CABI to collaborate on banana webinar | Saragreen Farming pays courtesy call to TFNet | ||||
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| TFNet invited to participate in the Doing Business in Africa Forum | TFNet invited by MIDA to join Webinar on Malaysia–Indonesia Investment Opportunities | ||||
UPCOMING TFNet ACTIVITIES |
PUBLICATIONS |
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Breadfruit Webinar Banana Webinar with CABI Study visits with partners |
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| Missed our webinars? You can now watch them in our Youtube channel! | We are looking for contributors to our website and newsletters. Contact us at info@itfnet.org. | ||||
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TROPICAL FRUIT NEWS |
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ETHIOPIA: Enset the “wonder crop” can help in the battle against global malnutrition |  |
AUSTRALIA: Banana shortage hits supermarket shelves after cool weather in Queensland | ||||
| Despite being a staple food for more than 20 million people across Ethiopia, its global renown is insignificant compared to rice, wheat, and maize. | A shortage of Australia’s most popular fruit, bananas, has hit supermarket shelves, right as apple season winds down after tough growing conditions. | ||||||
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VIETNAM: Banana exports reach US$257.1 million as Asian demand grows |  |
UK: Scientists find ways to combat deadly banana disease | ||||
| Vietnam’s banana exports reached US$257.1 million during the first eight months of 2026, according to the Vietnam Customs Department. | Researchers say they have made fresh advances in the race to save bananas from disaster such as killer diseases and the climate crisis.. | ||||||
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CAMBODIA: Surging Chinese orders sweeten livelihoods for factory workers |  |
INDIA: ICAR-IIHR’s Hot Water Technology to boost the export of South Indian Mangoes | ||||
| A Chinese-invested mango processing factory in western Cambodia is buzzing with activity as a recent surge in purchase orders from China guarantees their employment. | ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru has developed and validated a new postharvest hot water treatment protocol for control of fruit fly and anthracnose in commercial mango cultivars. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: NT shares mango biosecurity expertise with Malaysian delegation |  |
AMERICAS: El Niño challenges remainder of 2026 mango outlook | ||||
| The Northern Territory is strengthening agricultural and biosecurity collaboration with Malaysia, with a study visit to key Territory production, research and biosecurity facilities. | Over the past four weeks, overall mango imports into the U.S. have been down despite an increase in supply from Brazil. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Pineapple growers concerned over imports from India and Indonesia |  |
PORTUGAL: Startup turning pineapple waste into high-value fish feed ingredient | ||||
| The pineapple industry is calling on the Government not to approve proposed pineapple imports from India and Indonesia, stating unresolved biosecurity concerns could put local production at risk. | Portuguese startup AgroGrINTech is using pineapple waste to create a high-value ingredient in fish feed, particularly because of its high bromelein content. | ||||||
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BANGLADESH: Naogaon farmer eyes Tk 23 lakh profit from papaya farming |  |
SPAIN: Canary islands seek PGI status for papaya at Fruit Attraction Madrid | ||||
| Farmer Amzad Hossain has achieved remarkable success through papaya cultivation in Badalgachhi and is expecting to earn a net profit of more than Tk23 lakh in one season. | Ten companies from the Canary Islands are participating in Fruit Attraction to promote the application for a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for Canarian Papaya. | ||||||
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KENYA: New directive issued affecting avocado and mango exporters |  |
CHINA: Bumper avocado harvest in Yunnan’s Menglian expected to replace 15 percent of imports | ||||
| The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has introduced new export rules for avocado and mango traders, announcing the closure of the 2026/2027 avocado harvesting season for sea shipment. | Across the month of October, avocados are ripening across Menglian Dai, Lahu and Wa Autonomous County in Pu’er, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Research tackling immature fruit drop in avocado trees |  |
MYANMAR: Avocados to target intl markets through improved varieties | ||||
| Only a percentage of avocados ever make it to harvest, but CSIRO research is working on ways to combat what is called immature fruit abscission or early fruit drop, a major challenge faced by growers. | Myanmar will combine local avocado varieties with high-quality imported varieties to improve fruit quality and expand exports, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation. | ||||||
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MALAYSIA: As durian rivals grow, growers bank on quality |  |
MALAYSIA: Uncertain season for durian farms | ||||
| Malaysia’s reputation for premium-quality durians could be its biggest advantage in an increasingly competitive global market. | Malaysia’s durian farming is facing an uncertain season due to unpredictable climate of hot weather, haze and heavy rain. | ||||||
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND LATEST RESEARCH |
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A Sirtuin Protein FocSir2 Is Important for Oxidative Adaptation and Virulence of Banana Fusarium Wilt Impact of Peel-splitting Phenomenon on Physicochemical Attributes of Red Barangan Banana (Musa acuminata Colla) |
Development and Preliminary Verification of Specific KASP Markers for Mango Resistance to Bacterial Angular Leaf Spot Integrated Screening of Salinity Responses in Mango Seedling Progenies from Open-Pollinated Maternal Sources |
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Carica papaya L. Hexane Fraction Induces Apoptotic Cell Death in Colorectal Cancer Cells via PI3K/AKT Suppression and Impaired Late-Stage Autophagic Flux Investigation of the Potential of Carica papaya Seeds as a Biomass-based Catalyst for Biodiesel Production |
Post-harvest damage and pathogens affecting sugarloaf pineapple (Ananas comosus var comosus) fruit in the Republic of Benin Integrated Deep Eutectic Solvent Pretreatment and Acid Hydrolysis for Bioethanol Production from Pineapple Peel Waste |
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Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) Genomic Divergence Across the Victoria, Tanganyika and Rukwa Lake Basins of Tanzania Avocado processing and assessing fat and acid composition of the lipid fraction |
Guava Fruit Disease Detection Using IoT and Deep Learning Techniques Utilization of jackfruit seed milk as a natural source of micronutrients for health |
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