SOUTH AFRICA: Avocado export forecast expected to drop
2020-05-12
The South African avocado export forecast has been cut by some 2millions cartons as the effects of Covid-19 on international markets becomes clearer.Continue Reading
THAILAND: Ministry of Commerce helping fruit farmers sell their products online
2020-05-11
SOURCE: Pattaya Mail The COVID-19 outbreak has caused Thai fruit exports to slow down due to the lockdown of many partner countries. The Ministry of Commerce, has therefore, sought ways to solve the problem by launching a campaign to increase domestic consumption and designating May and June “Thai Fruits GoldenContinue Reading
STUDY: Scientists develop ‘hands off’ system for spotting perfectly ripe avocados
2020-05-11
SOURCE: Madeleine Cuff, iNews As the brunch ingredient of choice for millennials, supermarkets face a continuous battle keeping their shelves stocked with perfectly ripe avocados. Customers demand ready to eat fruit, but avocados have a short shelf life, swinging from hard to mushy within just a few days. Suppliers, supermarketsContinue Reading
USA: Rambutan hopes to see ginger/turmeric-like boost in demand
2020-05-11
SOURCE: Astrid Van Den Broek, Freshplaza As the imported rambutan season gears up, questions remain around what demand might look like once the fruit arrives in the marketplace. Marc Holbik of Miami, Fl.-based Ecoripe Tropicals notes that the company launches its 2020 rambutan season from Guatemala in the first weekContinue Reading
CAMBODIA: Huge dragon fruit farm community to be grown
2020-05-11
A local investor has created a large-scale dragon farm community in Preah Vihear province in response to local and export demand.Continue Reading
PAKISTAN: Mango exports likely to drop this year due to coronavirus
2020-05-08
SOURCE: Pakistan Today As the mango exports from Pakistan are expected to kick off with a delay and in apparently less quantity due to the coronavirus pandemic, the exporters have requested the officials to allow the labor from South Punjab to travel and work in mango orchards to save billionsContinue Reading
INDIA: ICAR scientists brave COVID-19 risks to control banana wilt disease
2020-05-08
SOURCE: Laxmi Devi, Business Insider Unfazed by the COVID-19 risks, farm scientists from two Lucknow-based ICAR institutes are on the front line to control a fungal disease in banana crop especially in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar ahead of the planting season. Fusarium wilt with tropical race 4 (TR4) strain isContinue Reading
SOUTH AFRICA: Pineapple sales increase 10 times as South Africans continue making homemade brew
2020-05-05
SOURCE: SA People News Alcohol consumers in South Africa are getting plastered on pineapples after the nationwide alcohol ban in lockdown sparked a craze of turning the tropical fruit into powerful home-brew. Supermarket bosses have revealed that 10 times as many pineapples are being sold at TWICE the price sinceContinue Reading
PAKISTAN: Mango harvesting in limbo as laborers stranded
2020-05-04
SOURCE: Shahid Shah, The International News Mango traders and growers are worried over labour shortage in orchards due to lockdown-led transport unavailability as harvesting is just around the corner, it was learnt on Monday. Mango plucking is about to start in Sindh from next week and unavailability of workers raisesContinue Reading
BRAZIL: Fruit not being flown off, still shipping by sea
2020-05-01
SOURCE: Bruna Garcia Fonseca, ANBA Virtually no fruit is being flown off from Brazil right now. Since volumes are not enough to fill up a cargo plane, most of the product used to ship in the cargo compartment in regular flights, which are grounded amid the worldwide quarantine. Some 10%Continue Reading
USA: People are buying more avocados and less bacon as coronavirus shifts eating patterns
2020-04-30
SOURCE: LA Times The coronavirus outbreak has transformed the way the world eats. There is no trend, exactly, other than this: People want comfort. They also want to eat their way to stronger immune systems. They’re stress baking, but they’re also eating healthier foods than they would have at restaurants.Continue Reading
AUSTRALIA: Papaya demand returning to normal for the autumn season
2020-04-29
SOURCE: Matt Russell, Freshplaza Demand for Australian papaya has returned to normal, following the increase in retail purchasing immediately following the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. North Queensland growers, Skybury, noticed a small reduction in demand following the ‘panic buying’ that Australia went through, but it has now levelled out with retailersContinue Reading