PHILIPPINES: Pangasinan town claims to produce the sweetest watermelon

Municipal agriculturist Daniel Dacayanan attributes the distinct sweetness to the farmers' use of saline water to irrigate the plants, and the juiciness to alluvial soil. .

VIETNAM: Ministry consults about promoting agro-produce in global market

Vietnam is capable of producing rice, fruit and seafood that meet international standards but fails to find outlets for the products, according to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.

MALAYSIA: Private company invests USD 5.8 million to produce Harum Manis mango

JPB Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, the Northen Corridor Investment Authority (NCIA) and Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Unimap) are collaborating to construct greenhouses to produce Harum Manis mangoes all year round in Perlis.

INDONESIA: Semarang to hold Durian Festival in March

Semarang, Central Java, will host the Durian Festival, a festival celebrating the infamous durian fruit, on March 6 to 8 at the Jatisari field in the Mijen sub-district, which will be open to the public.

PHILIPPINES: Davao banana production up by 11%

Banana production in Davao Region rose by at least 11.63 percent as of the third quarter last year, the Department of Agriculture's (DA) regional office reported.

INDIA: “Eating lychee is absolutely not dangerous for adults or well-nourished children,” says expert

It was under-nourished children who were affected by the disease, Dr. Jacob John told this correspondent. Children in poor rural families, typically of labourers working in litchi orchards, were the ones at risk.

AUSTRALIA: Top lychee crop after slow start

Lychees will hit the supermarket shelves late this season, after a slow start for northern growers.

BANGLADESH: Banana growers happy over production, profit

The banana growers in the district are overjoyed, as they are making handsome profit by cultivating the crop on their lands in recent years.

CHINA: Warming up to Malaysian durian

Although Thailand has been dominating the Chinese durian market for more than 30 years, the Chinese people are gradually warming to Malaysian durians in recent years.

INDIA: Farmers in despair as pineapple prices dip

Owners of small pineapple holdings fear going out of business as fruit prices drop from Rs. 47 (USD 0.75) a kg in late June to Rs. 13 (USD 0.20) a kg on Monday in the Vazhakkulam wholesale market.

INDIA: No ripening chamber, mango traders brace for another bad season

Traders and farmers have not forgotten last year's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raids that destroyed lakhs of mangoes for using calcium carbide to hasten the ripening process. They said a ripening chamber approved by the FDA was not available to them.

BANGLADESH: Mango growers apprehensive of big damage to buds for severe cold

Mango orchard owners and traders of Rajshahi are afraid of incurring a big loss during the coming mango season as they are apprehending damage of blossoms due to severe cold and dense fog.

AUSTRALIA: Hot water dips offer hope in battle against post-harvest papaya disease

Researchers testing hot water treatments for disease control in Fijian papaya crops say the technique could also help Australian growers reduce their post-harvest fruit losses by up to 60%.

AUSTRALIA: Researchers work to wipe out virus crippling banana industry

Banana Freckle Virus has crippled crops across the Northern Territory and teams are working around the clock to eradicate it before it spreads further.

PERU: Mangoes, asparagus undergo phytosanitary controls to enter Korea, China

Peru's Agriculture Ministry welcomed South Korean and Chinese delegations of phytosanitary organizations to discuss the entry of Peruvian mangoes and asparagus, respectively, into their markets.

USA: Binational committee formed to open for South African avocados

Executives representing the top Hass avocado companies in the United States and South Africa announced during Fruit Logistica in Berlin the establishment of the U.S.-South Africa Avocado Committee.

KENYA: Avocado sector gets USD 1 million boost from the Netherlands

Promoting the avocado sector in Kenya will generate new export revenue for the country and create employment for its young and dynamic labour force, said Mr Anders Aeroe, Director of Market Development of the International Trade Centre (ITC).

CUBA: Guava production gives company revenues over USD 200 million

The Ceballos Agro-industrial Company had revenues of more than USD 200 million, thanks to guava processing in small industries.

JAMAICA: New agro-parks to focus on banana farming

Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security, Derrick Kellier, says the Government intends to explore financing for new agro-parks in Western Jamaica.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Makira to host banana festival

The Makira Ulawa Province will be hosting its annual Makira Banana Festival celebration in Kirakira, Makira Province in June.

TANZANIA: Farmers to gain from banana, potatoes drive

A programme aiming to assist banana and sweet potato growers in Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia in securing reliable markets was launched here, targeting to benefit nearly 100,000 families in Tanzania alone.