by Ganesh Prabhu, The Hindu   Byndoor and Cherkady are all set to emerge as centres of banana production in Udupi district as farmers have taken to the cultivation of ‘nendranbale’ (plantain) and ‘puttabale’ ( poovan varieties) bananas in these two villages, respectively.   Though many farmers have cultivated bananas in theseContinue Reading

by Henry Empeño, Business Mirror   The Zambales provincial government is seeking a P200-million grant from the Department of Agriculture (DA) for the development of the local mango industry and the promotion of the popular Zambales sweet mango as a world-class product.     Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said inContinue Reading

by Yurien Portelles, Andes   The chairman of the Association of Banana Exports of Ecuador, Jorge Alex Serrano, stated that Ecuadorian companies are seeking to establish themselves as the leading suppliers of the “star fruit” in the Chinese market, ahead of the Philippines, their traditional seller.     “We areContinue Reading

By Roshni Mahesh, International Business Times   Fruit consumption has a direct impact on depression levels in human beings, according to a new Australian study.   The University of Queensland study found that eating less than the recommend two servings of fruits a day increased the risk of depression in participants, mainly inContinue Reading

Vietnam has decided to suspend imports of fruits from Australia for concerns over fruit fly, according to the Department of Plant Protection under Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Wednesday.   Nguyen Xuan Hong, director of the department, said imports of all 38 kinds of Australian fruits willContinue Reading

The European Union has removed tariffs on strategic Philippines exports.   In its plenary meeting Thursday, December 18, the European Parliament completed the process to grant the country’s request for inclusion in the European Union’s (EU) General System of Preferences Plus (GSP+).   It was reported on December 12 that theContinue Reading

By Zara Margolis, ABC Rural   It’s harvest time for lychees on Queensland’s Capricorn Coast.   Ian Groves and his family have been growing tropical fruit on their Bungundarra property since the early 1980s, including lychees, mangoes, and avocadoes.     For the next eight or nine weeks, the GrovesContinue Reading