This progress report is submitted to provide stakeholders and the general public with a summary of the key activities and initiatives undertaken by the TFNet Secretariat from July 2025 to April 2026, covering the first ten months following the appointment of Muhamed Salim bin Mohd Ali as Chief Executive Officer.
During the reporting period, TFNet undertook various strategic and operational initiatives, including the successful organization of the 9th General Assembly and the 17th Board of Trustees Meeting.
In support of capacity building and knowledge sharing, TFNet successfully organized the 2025 International Symposium on Tropical Fruits, alongside a series of webinars focusing on underutilized tropical fruits such as mangosteen and sapodilla. Collectively, these programmes attracted 284 participants from 13 countries, reflecting growing international interest and engagement in the tropical fruits sector.
TFNet also facilitated a study visit for the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (MPIB) from 26–30 April 2026 to several leading pineapple-related companies in the Philippines, including Dole Philippines, Sun Farms, GS Fruits, and Asiatext, a company specializing in pineapple and abaca fibre-based textiles.
The collaborative project entitled “Enhancing the Production of Mango and Other Tropical Fruits to Address Demand and Market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, implemented in collaboration with King Faisal University, was successfully completed in December 2025.
Looking ahead, TFNet is co-organizing the 2nd International Congress on Pineapple for Better Value Chain Adaptation (ICoP 2026), scheduled to take place from 8–10 September 2026 in Camarines Norte, Philippines. In parallel, several new initiatives, including the TFNet Youth Programme: FruitNext and the TFNet Trade Database, are currently under development to further strengthen industry engagement, youth participation, and information exchange within the tropical fruits sector.
As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen and expand TFNet’s membership network and regional partnerships, TFNet CEO Muhamed Salim bin Mohd Ali signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in the Philippines. Discussions and preparations are also underway with several other institutions for future MOUs aimed at enhancing regional cooperation and collaboration. In addition, the CEO conducted a series of working visits to promote TFNet and strengthen engagement with stakeholders in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and India.
TFNet hopes that these efforts will continue to foster active engagement among stakeholders, strengthen regional and international collaboration, and create broader opportunities for partnerships and sustainable development within the tropical fruits industry.