AUSTRALIA: An interesting year for those in Western Australia’s fresh produce sector

It has been a year that has seen crops devastated in the north by Cyclone Olwyn but also a year that has witnessed avocado production skyrocket.

After studying India’s scattered jackfruit industry for more than a year, Subhash Koroth, 32, finally decided to take the plunge. This May, he invested Rs 1 crore of his own money and started India’s first formal jackfruit company, Artocarpus Foods Pvt. Ltd., at Taliparamb, near Kannur, in Kerala.

Building the quality and profile of the mango helped drive the Morton family’s decision to set up mango orchards in Vietnam 14 years ago. Mr Morton shares his time between two countries, managing the Vietnamese harvest in April and the Australian harvest late in the year.

On the back of Joyvio’s moves into kiwifruit and blueberries over the last couple of years, the Chinese produce giant has now launched its own line of bananas.

BIOVERSITY INTERNATIONAL: Farmer-friendly method controls banana Xanthomonas wilt disease

Livelihoods in East and Central Africa are seriously threatened by Xanthomonas wilt, a disease that attacks bananas causing up to 100% yield loss and severely damaging the livelihoods and food security of banana farming households across the region.

The Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce (SUCCC) extended their invitation to China investors on business partnership in the state under “One Belt one Road” initiative.

The South East Asian nation hopes to export US$2bn worth of fresh fruit this year, but analysts doubt the goal is attainable due to high airfreight fees which make the product uncompetitive on some markets.

Pitaya, also known as dragon fruit, is being cultivated for the first time in the northern part of Bangladesh thanks to favourable growing conditions. It usually grows in Southeast Asian as well as Central and South American countries.

Lychee Divine owners Kerry and John Pool will be showcasing their lychee-based products at this weekend’s Good Food & Wine festival in Brisbane, after an “amazing” business turn-around.

The largest durian party at the city’s Queen Victoria Market (QVM) attracted some 5,000 people. Organised by property developer SP Setia Bhd and aptly named Makan Makan, there were throngs of people who came not only to enjoy the delicious delicacy, but to experience the Malaysian culture in a multi-cultural gathering yesterday.

Leading Indian fruit trader IG International is continuing its avocado drive in India with the launch of Hass prepacks from New Zealand, amid hopes more consumers will incorporate the fruit into their cooking.

Did you know that an enterprising young Korean based in the Metro Manila is making millions on our Philippine mango? This we gathered when we attended the mango congress in Cebu City recently.

Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd has signed a 3-year contract for supply of mango pulp with Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd (HCCBPL), the largest bottler of Coca-Cola in India.

Vuong Dinh Khoat, general director of HCM City-based Hugo Company, said that the high shipping cost has caused problems. Hugo plans to export longan and dragon fruits to the US. He has been told that he would have to pay $3.4-3.6 to ship a kilo of fruits by air.

Sources said, about 27,000 farmers of Awatapara under the Ishwardi upazila of Pabna district have been provided with technical support by the Regional Fisheries and Livestock Development Component (RFDC) and DANIDA.

More and more growers and mango businesses are turning to technology to make sure the quality of their fruit is spot on before sending them to market.

For decades, consignments of Muzaffarpur’s famous Shahi Lychee would be sent to New Delhi marked for the President, the Prime Minister and various other dignitaries.

Avocado volumes have dropped 40 per cent this season. Carmen Hall asks NZ Avocado chief executive Jen Scoular about the fewer numbers and the future of the industry.

The coordinator of the Outgrower Project, Radville Farms, has stated that the increase in mango production within the Greater Banjul Area could be attributed to the major support the Project rendered to the mango farmers.

Adverse weather in Costa Rica has affected pineapple production in the country, and, as a result, shipments of the fruit to the United States have suffered. Because Costa Rican imports make up the bulk of pineapple supplies right now, the market has fluctuated in recent weeks.

Papaya industry leaders got together at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit 2015 to discuss forming a marketing order. A marketing order — along with a national board to implement it — would increase sales and consumption of papayas through efforts to educate consumers, receivers and retailers about handling and usage best practices

The Brazilian melon and watermelon export season kicked off this year with larger shipping volumes than the last campaign. Melon exports during August and September totalled 37,924 metric tons (MT), marking a 9% year-on-year rise, according to data from the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.

Britain’s growing army of avocado lovers are facing hefty increases in the cost of their favourite healthy salad food, according to a new report. Prices of avocado, which is increasingly popular with health-conscious Britons, could be set for a steep hike as global demand rockets, the latest research shows.

The support that the Radville Farms Outgrower Project gave to farmers, has been credited as one of the reasons for the increase in mango production in Greater Banjul Area.

Mexican industry association Propapaya says growers who have been able to reach their farms in the wake of Hurricane Patricia are reporting fruit losses of between 50-80%.

Scientists have known for years that a protein inside bananas called banana lectin, or BanLec, has powerful antiviral properties. The only problem: BanLec also overstimulates the immune system, resulting in harmful side effects that make it useless as a medicine.