ISSUE 44: FEBRUARY 2019
 
   
     
   
     
   
             
 
UPCOMING TFNET ACTIVITES
 
   
           
 

Seminar on Pineapple
Venue: Putrajaya, Malaysia
Date: April 2019

2019 International Symposium on Tropical Fruits 
Venue: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Date: August 2019

Workshop on Dragon Fruit
Venue: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Date: September 2019

Workshop on Banana Fusarium Wilt 
Venue: Guangzhou, China
Date: October 2019 

  
           
 
TROPICAL FRUIT NEWS FROM TFNET COUNTRY MEMBERS
 
   

AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory declared free of banana freckle disease PHILIPPINES: Fruit output mainly higher in fourth quarter of 2018
   
After more than five years and USD 26 million, the Northern Territory has been declared free of banana freckle. Banana, mango, and pineapple production rose in the fourth quarter of 2018, while calamansi production declined during the period.
               
  VIETNAM: Mango exports to the USA begins     INDIA: Indore snaps mango trade with Pakistan  
 

         
  Vietnam has now begun officially exporting its mangoes to the US market, after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave permission for the import of fresh mangoes from the Southeast Asian nation in 2017.     Mangoes from Pakistan will remain out of sight this season as fruit dealers in Indore have decided to shun ties with the neighboring country.  

BANGLADESH: Khirsapat mango wins GI tag AUSTRALIA: Pineapple success in the Northern Territory, as Piñata starts its 2019 harvest

Khirsapat mango of Chapainawabganj, popularly known as Himsagar, got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag that is expected to help growers get better prices. One of Australia’s largest pineapple farms has emerged near the Northern Territory town of Humpty Doo with almost 4 million pineapple plants in the ground.

MALAYSIA: Sarawak now poised to become country’s largest pineapple hub INDIA: Horticorp comes to rescue of price-hit pineapple farmers in Kerala

Sarawak, which contributes 98% of the Malaysia's black pepper, is now poised to be the largest premium pineapple hub in the country. As the price of pineapple crashed, the Nadukkara Agro Processing company through Horticorp will procure 200 tonnes of pineapple from the farmers.

AUSTRALIA: New Ruby Red papaya invites young’uns to “taste the supergoodness” NIGERIA: Lagos tasks fruit sellers on food safety standards

Well-known banana grower, the MacKay family, has released Australia’s newest red papaya brand – Ruby Rise Red Papaya. The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) is organizing campaigns on food safety for market traders.

INDONESIA: Stinking rich? Rare durian fruit go on sale for $1,000 each VIETNAM: Investment in fruit, vegetable processing surges as companies realize potential

A rare durian fruit is causing a stir in Indonesia, where the pungent delicacy is selling for the equivalent of USD 1,000 each, or more than three times the average monthly wage. Fruit and vegetable exports, which have been growing at around 15 per cent annually for the past five years, are a highly attractive business activity for enterprises that invest in large and modern processing plants.

 
TROPICAL FRUIT NEWS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
 
   

         
ECUADOR: German discounters’ tactics irk the banana industry ST. LUCIA: Local banana farmers brace for tough times as UK demand shrinks

Ecuador has stopped selling bananas to German supermarket chain Aldi, refusing to resume deliveries until a higher price per crate is negotiated Customer demand in the UK has shifted in favor of organic fairtrade bananas, which are not produced in St. Lucia.
 

           
  JAPAN: Cold-resistant banana farm promotes disabled’s social integration SOUTH KOREA: Climate change prompts S. Korea to test banana cultivation  
 

       
  In a farm employing a sophisticated technique to develop cold-resistant bananas in Okayama Prefecture, disabled people play a major role in the routine work of watering, fertilizing and removing yellowing leaves from the plants. Helped by a climate change caused by global warming, South Korean farmers eye new crops such as bananas that have never been cultivated on the peninsula for new income sources.  

THAILAND: Chinese tourists invited to record-breaking sticky rice mango feast COSTA RICA: The area devoted to pineapple increased by 15.7% in one year

About 10,000 Chinese tourists have been invited to a feast in Thailand that has broken the Guinness World Record for the biggest sticky rice mango banquet ever, as a way to win tourists from China back. An update of satellite maps linked to NASA reveal that 66,266 hectares of pineapple were planted in 2017, according to the Monitoring Productive Landscape Use Changes (MOCUPP) of Costa Rica.

TOGO: EU and German cooperation invest USD 6.9 million in the pineapple sector NEW ZEALAND: Species different to Q-fly found in northern suburb of the New Zealand city last week

Co-financed by the European Fund for Development (EDF) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the USD 6.9 million project aims to improve the competitiveness of Togo's pineapple industry. New Zealand biosecurity authorities are on high alert after a second type of fruit fly was found in Auckland within the space of a week.

FINANCE: Del Monte slips to full-year loss FEATURE: Here’s why avocado prices have been skyrocketing

Fresh Del Monte has reported its financial results for the full year of 2018, with several factors contributing to an overall net loss of USD 21.9 million for the year. The increase of avocado prices is due to a number of factors but the result is that proprietors are working overtime to find ways to meet the compounding consumer demand.

KENYA: Green energy makes farmer’s avocados greener COLOMBIA: Processed fruits represent a great business opportunity

Micah Cheserem, the former chairman of the Commission on Revenue Allocation, uses solar power to pump water from reservoirs to farms. Exports of processed fruit from Colombia reached USD 92.75 million in 2018, 12% more than the previous year.