 |
|||||||
| ISSUE 98: JANUARY 2026 |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
| New year message from TFNet's CEO | ||
2025 HIGHLIGHTS |
||
 |
|||||||
TROPICAL FRUIT NEWS |
|||||||
 |
PHILIPPINES: Foreign rivals pressure Mindanao bananas |  |
USA: Once seen as ‘inflation-proof,’ banana prices are up 5.4% since Trump announced tariffs in April | ||||
| Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology helped develop the disease-resistant banana - the first genetically modified banana approved in Australia. | You may have noticed while grocery shopping that bananas, generally one of the most price-stable items on the shelf, are no longer immune to rising costs. | ||||||
 |
VIETNAM: Cooperative brings local bananas to the world |  |
ECUADOR: Presence of Fusarium TR4 confirmed | ||||
| The Thanh Binh Cooperative, opened a new direction to enhance the value of Vietnamese bananas by bringing them into the world market. | Agrocalidad declares a six-month phytosanitary emergency after the presence of the fungus on a farm in El Oro province is corroborated. | ||||||
 |
GUAM: Temporary ban on mango from CNMI to prevent spread of invasive pest |  |
INDIA: Malappuram orchard grows rare premium mangoes | ||||
| A temporary ban on mangoes from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to Guam is in effect after researchers found an invasive insect chewing up the fruit in Saipan. | In Kattungal, Malappuram, an orchard is home to rare fruits from around the world, including the coveted Miyazaki mango. | ||||||
 |
AUSTRALIA: Best-value ($1.50) fruit and veg for November |  |
INDIA: Heavy rain delays mango flowering in Karnataka | ||||
| Flamminio is selling larger premium mangoes for $2.50 to $3 each, and smaller-sized ones for $1.50 to $2. Supermarkets are pricing them at $2.90. | Bountiful rain this year may not b0e of much help for mango growers in Karnataka. For, there may be a delay in mango flowering. | ||||||
 |
BANGLADESH: Singair supplies 40% of national papaya output |  |
PHILIPPINES: Pineapple fiber facility opens in Aklan | ||||
| Papaya cultivation in Singair Upazila of Manikganj district in Bangladesh is increasingly carried out on a commercial basis, supplying both local markets and major wholesale hubs across the country. | A new pineapple fiber processing center has opened in the province of Aklan, giving farmers and weavers a dedicated facility to help the community meet rising demand for piña products both locally and abroad. | ||||||
 |
THAILAND: Sawi pineapple from Chumphon registered as GI product |  |
VIETNAM: Pineapple growers report heavy crop losses | ||||
| The Department of Intellectual Property has registered Chumphon’s “Sawi pineapple” as the province’s seventh GI product, highlighting its Queen variety, sweet-crisp taste and strong aroma. | Pineapple growers in Vietnam, are reporting extensive losses after more than a month of yellowing leaves, root rot, and plant collapse. | ||||||
 |
NIGERIA: Losing in $27b global pineapple market |  |
CHINA: Avocado industry powers rural growth in Yunnan’s border county | ||||
| Nigeria is missing out in the global pineapple market, valued at approximately $27.08 billion by exporting just raw produce. | China’s Central Rural Work Conference wrapped up in Beijing on December 30, highlighting the importance of rural revitalization. | ||||||
 |
US: Avocado market poised to surpass 3bn lbs for first time ever |  |
CHINA: Durian craze has turned this tropical fruit into a tool of diplomacy | ||||
| Total avocado volume in the US market is on track to exceed 3bn lbs in 2025 according to the Hass Avocado Board (HAB). | China is now the world’s top importer of durian, accounting for around 95% of global demand of nearly US$7 billion in 2024. | ||||||
 |
SOUTH KOREA: Discussions target Mindanao durian exports |  |
CHINA: Import of Vietnamese fresh jackfruits to start from June 1, 2026 | ||||
| Aiming to boost farmers’ incomes and position Mindanao’s durian industry for global export growth, MinDA welcomed the Koica’s broader project support during a meeting in Seoul. | China will officially allow the import of fresh jackfruits from Việt Nam from June 1, 2026, according to an announcement issued by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). | ||||||
 |
INDIA: Guava crop hit by rain, pests; 13,000 quintals lost |  |
VIETNAM: Thai mangosteen prices double as imports fall | ||||
| The famed Allahabadi guava crop in Prayagraj has suffered a major setback this year due to above-average monsoon rainfall, fruit fly infestation and the spread of the soil-borne fungal disease guava wilt. | Thai mangosteen prices have doubled in Vietnam from a year ago to a record VND250,000 (US$9.51) per kilogram amid a lack of supply. | ||||||
EMERGING AND MODERN TECHNOLOGIES IN TROPICAL FRUITS |
|||||||
 |
Mondi unveils lightweight banana box made with 40% recycled fibre |  |
New gene identified that dramatically boosts papaya productivity | ||||
RECENT LITERATURE ON TROPICAL FRUIT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT |
|||||||
 |
 |
||||||
A novel cost-effective micropropagation strategy for large-scale multiplication of banana (Musa acuminata) cv. Grand Naine Regeneration medium and simple freezing improve cryopreservation of wild banana varieties (Musa acuminata Colla) Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid detection of Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) infecting Abaca (Musa textilis Nee) in the major abaca plantations in Caraga Region |
Impact of different nano-forms of potassium on growth, yield and fruit quality of Zebda mango under deficit irrigation water strategy A Vision-Based Robot System with Grasping-Cutting Strategy for Mango Harvesting Detection of early latent bruise on mangoes based on hyperspectral imaging combined with band operations and improved YOLOv5 |
||||||
 |
 |
||||||
Intelligent Detection of Papaya Leaf Diseases Using Deep Learning Comparative analysis of thin-layer drying models in predicting papaya moisture content using optimization algorithms Calmodulin-like protein CpCML46 interacts with transcription factor CpERF12 to regulate papaya fruit ripening |
Health Risk Associated with the Consumption of Pineapple Contaminated with Pesticide Residues at Three Sites in South-Eastern Côte D'ivoire Profitability and market performance of pineapple and arabica coffee in Jambi province, western Indonesia Soluble solids content prediction of pineapple based on visible-near infrared hyperspectral image |
||||||
 |
 |
||||||
In vitro regeneration of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) through growth regulator-induced shoot induction Enhanced recovery of antioxidant compounds from avocado pomace using ultrasound-assisted extraction systems Phenological characterization of the avocado 'Lorena' under lowland tropical conditions |
Enhancing Durian Fruit Quality through Foliar Calcium Fertilization Development, Nutritional Evaluation, and Shelf-Life Study of a Jackfruit-Based Meat Analogue Enriched With Legumes and Spirulina Development of Mangosteen Peel Flour as a Functional Food Ingredient to Support Entrepreneurial Independence in Village |
||||||