SOURCE: Rose-Harriet Okech, IITA Scientists at IITA-CGIAR have made a major breakthrough in the fight against Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW), a devastating bacterial disease threatening banana crops across East and Central Africa. The findings, recently published in Communications Biology, the prestigious journal from the Nature portfolio, demonstrates how gene editingContinue Reading
SOURCE: APA News South Africa has exported the first batch of avocados for the 2025 season to China, marking a significant milestone in the country’s agricultural trade. The shipment arrived in Shanghai last week, strengthening South Africa’s position as a global avocado supplier and making it the third African nation,Continue Reading
SOURCE: Jeremy Tan, The Star Penang’s durian season has begun and the race is on to savour the best fruits. Harvests are expected to be less bountiful this year because of unfavourable weather conditions, so fans of the “King of Fruits” may have a shorter window to indulge in theirContinue Reading
SOURCE: The Nation The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), through the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD), has arrested a Vietnamese national known as Van, or “Bird,” for illegally importing over 16 tonnes of avocados into Thailand. According to a statement released by the CIB on Wednesday, the produce had not undergoneContinue Reading
SOURCE: Onz Chéry, Haitian Times Djimy Saintil will never forget the night he cried over his ruined papaya plantation in Caracol, a village about 20 miles southeast of Cap-Haïtien. It was a day in May two years ago, a day when the agronomist should have been harvesting the plump yellowy-orangeContinue Reading
SOURCE: Charles Pensulo, Al Jazeera Since he was young, Enock Dayton has made a living from bananas. The 30-year-old was born and raised in Molele, in the southern Malawian district of Thyolo, which was at the heart of local banana production until a plant virus devastated crops more than aContinue Reading
SOURCE: Newsroom Panama Panamanian company Panafruit SA, located in San Juan del Tejar, Chiriquí, maintains a growth projection for its papaya exports to the United States and Aruba this year, according to the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA). So far in 2025, the company has exported 44 containers to theContinue Reading
SOURCE: Reuters Farmers in Colombia, the world’s fifth-largest banana grower, are looking to boost shipments to the European Union this year on the lucrativeness of shipping to the region, an industry leader said on Thursday. WHY IT’S IMPORTANT The European Union pays a premium for Colombian bananas due to sustainabilityContinue Reading
SOURCE: Thi Ha, VNExpress Durian is no longer Vietnam’s top fruit export, having fallen below that of dragon fruit and banana in the first two months of 2025 due to strict import requirements. Dragon fruit and banana exports fetched US$93.8 million and $71.8 million during the period, according to customsContinue Reading
SOURCE: Moureen Awori, Gloriana Ndibalema, Rony Swennen, Michael Batte, Hugo Campos and Hapson Mushoriwa, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) In Uganda, approximately 75% of farmers cultivate ‘Matooke’ and other banana varieties, covering an estimated 38% of the total cultivated land. However, production has declined over the past three decades,Continue Reading
SOURCE: Francisco Velasquez, Quartz Just when consumers were expecting some relief on egg prices, bananas might be the next victim. The U.S. fresh fruit market is bracing for a price surge as proposed port fees threaten to disrupt the banana supply chain – putting shoppers in the crosshairs of yetContinue Reading
SOURCE: Dora Christodoulou, In-Cyprus Banana cultivation in Cyprus has reached a critical point that threatens its continued existence, according to growers from Pegeia and Kissonerga, the only regions on the island producing the fruit. The drought of recent years had already placed pressure on farmers to continue their operations, butContinue Reading