News (Page 243)

by Isma’il Kushkush, The New York Times   Armed with machetes, the men push their way through the densely packed rows of trees, emerging every few minutes with large bundles of green bananas over their shoulders.         A guard, his chest crossed with bullet belts, his handsContinue Reading

by K.A. Shaji, The Hindu   Mango orchards at Muthalamada remain a ‘toxic hub’ owing to indiscriminate spraying of hazardous pesticides.   The orchards, which were earlier known for widespread use of the banned pesticide endosulfan, now use other pesticides, including Cymbush, Monocrosfate, Talstar, Malathion, Azoxistobin, Omethoate, Chlorpyrifos and Thiabaeazove.Continue Reading

by Aditi Tandon, The Tribune   Premium Indian Alphonso mango, the king of fruits, is all set to re-enter the European markets. The government said the EU ban on Alphonso imports would be lifted shortly.   EU had on May 1 this year temporarily banned the import of Alphonso mangoes andContinue Reading

by Kyae Mone Win and translated by Thiri Min Htun, Myanmar Times   Trademark protection is in the works for Myanmar’s famous sein ta lone [diamond] mangos, according to Mandalay Mango Association chair Daw Than Than Swe.   The fruit has been exported since 2006, but only began catching onContinue Reading

By Moses Opobo, New Times   AS FAR as life in a refugee camp goes, Sifa Maritine has seen it all. She fled the fighting between the Interahamwe and Mai Mai militias in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1997.     Her first stop was the border town ofContinue Reading

by Wangui Ngechu, Citizen News   This is the outcome of a contract farming deal that was entered into between 64 avocado farmer groups and an agricultural firm, Kakuzi limited in February 2013.   This payment will be made in two installments in an arrangement that is similar to how teaContinue Reading

South African avocado producers are upbeat about the industry’s future after a record crop this year that saw some 60,000 metric tons (MT) exported and a growing domestic market.   The export volumes represent more or less a 50% year-on-year increase, and while the local market did not rise quiteContinue Reading

by Priti Nath Jha, The Times of India   The Shahi litchi, which is primarily grown in Muzaffarpur district, will soon flood the Kerala market from December 20, according to the director of Muzaffarpur-based National Litchi Research Centre (NLRC), Vishalnath.   On his return from Kerala and Karnataka, Vishalnath said onContinue Reading

A British fruit company has recently sought Vietnamese exporters of longans by visiting plantations which grow the tropical fruit in two of the country’s southern provinces.     Mike Dodds, who represents Dorset-based AloeFruitWave, toured longan plantations in Ben Tre and Dong Thap, both located in the Mekong Delta, toContinue Reading

by Noris Ledesma, Miami Herald   Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a tropical tree native to western India that has been cultivated in Florida for more than a century. But now, with superior varieties available and growing techniques updated, it’s time to take advantage of its potential for production.   JackfruitContinue Reading

by Chukwuma Muanya, Nigeria Guardian   Tomorrow is World Diabetes Day! Although there is no cure yet for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, Nigerian researchers and their foreign counterparts have identified local plants such as guava, bitter leaf, Egusi melon and figs that will not only reduce bloodContinue Reading