TFNet News Compilation (Page 195)

by Carmelito Q. Francisco, Business World   Banana growers and exporters in the Philippines, currently the second biggest such industry in the world, are bracing for competition from fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which have started to develop banana plantations.   Among the ASEAN countriesContinue Reading

Farmers on Hawaii’s Big Island are worried after a disease affecting banana plants was found north of Hilo despite a quarantine effort. The banana bunchy top virus, which stunts the growth of banana plants and deforms their fruit, was first found on Oahu in 1989 and arrived in Kailua-Kona theContinue Reading

by Sruthisagar Yamunan, The Hindu   While paddy as the principal crop has been the focus in the aftermath of the floods that ravaged the northern districts, farmers who had taken to horticulture also report heavy losses. Across Cuddalore and Kancheepuram, fields of banana, papaya and watermelon have been inundatedContinue Reading

by N. Capozio, Bioversity International   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.   Banana Xanthomonas wilt first struckContinue Reading

by Tyne McConnon, ABC Rural   Those involved in Western Australia’s fresh produce sector are describing 2015 as an interesting year. 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.     GeneralContinue Reading

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.   SUCCC President, Datuk Seri Panglima Gan Sau Wah J.P. said Sabah not only was within the One Belt One Road initiative, but alsoContinue Reading

by Carmen Hall, New Zealand Herald   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.   Why such a drop in volumes? It’s a good question. Volumes of avocados beingContinue Reading

by Paul Barbano, Cape Gazette   An old saying goes, “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” The most popular fresh fruit in the United States isn’t apples or oranges but the tropical banana, probably because bananas are available year round. However the most popular fruit inContinue Reading

by Ginny Grant, Stuff   Despite its name (the Arabic “tamar hindi” translates as “date of India”), the tamarind tree hails originally from Africa, though its presence in Indian and South-East Asia dates back more than 2000 years.   The fruit is a bean-like pod. The immature fruit is greenish,Continue Reading

Seven years in the making, a designer in the Philippines has found that pineapple leaves can be used an alternative to leather.     The product, named Pinatex, is a middle-ground between traditional leather and petroleum based textiles says designer Carmen Hijosa. The pineapple-based alternative has been used in prototypes for bothContinue Reading

by Eliza Rogers, ABC Rural     Seth Morton doesn’t fit the mould of a typical Australian mango farmer. He has a passion for audio engineering and film, and spends most of his time tending mango orchards in Vietnam and empowering the local people. As his family-owned farm grapples withContinue Reading