News (Page 266)

When a banana flown half-way round the world costs half the price of a locally-grown apple, many in Britain wonder whether Latin American banana producers are getting a fair deal.   The British love eating bananas. Like milk or bread, it is considered a shopping essential, a reason why consumersContinue Reading

New Zealand’s avocado industry is moving to establish foothold in the Indian market, as momentum gathers for a bilateral free trade agreement between the two countries. Trial programmes underway, helping industry uncover potential and challenges of South Asian market.   Following the opening of market access in February 2013, a NewContinue Reading

Most of the big producers have wrapped up their harvest and according to grower Kerry Eupene, it was one the best seasons the industry has ever had.   “It’s been a good season as far as yields go and certainly the quality has been good,” he said.   “This yearContinue Reading

  A SunshineCoast videographer has captured the moment 30 of his dragonfruit plants flowering in an amazing timelapsed video. Shane Gehlert, of Bluedog films, said only a handful of people on the Coast were growing dragonfruit plants. It’s the largest flush of flowers he’s had to date. The dragonfruit plant,Continue Reading

More than 600 delegates from 25 countries gathered in San José, Costa Rica to attend the V International Banana Congress, organised by national banana corporation Corbana, which kicked off on Tuesday.   During his opening address, Corbana’s general manager Jorge Sauma said the aim of the three-day event was toContinue Reading

Farmers in Sindh are suffering the worst effects of climate change on their banana, tomato, seasonal vegetable and fruit crops in the wake of an unexpected wave of extreme cold.   Growers say the cold spell has destroyed 70 per cent of banana orchards and 80 per cent of vegetableContinue Reading

Black Leopard, Super Jumbo, Kaneko and Takii. To a visitor of Bani town in the western part of Pangasinan province, these words sound like names of characters in a Japanese animé film. But to farmers of Bani, these are the watermelon varieties that have earned them the reputation of producingContinue Reading

Pakistan has become the third largest dates exporter in the world and with proper attention and appropriate interventions this sector can flourish manifold. The date sector offers substantial opportunities for exports, income and employment generation in addition to economic growth of the country, said an official of Ministry of Commerce andContinue Reading

High prices for fresh fruits and vegetables are associated with higher Body Mass Index (BMI) in young children in low- and middle-income households, according to new research.   The US-based study, published in the journal Pediatrics, revealed that when the prices of fruits and vegetables go up, families may buyContinue Reading

In 2013, Vietnam, for the first time, earned $1 billion from fruit exports. A lot of Vietnamese fruits have become favored in the world market, including dragon fruit, mango and rambutan.   Especially, Vietnamese rambutan exporters have successfully dislodged Thailand and Malaysia, the two biggest rivals, from the US market.Continue Reading

Peruvian mango exports will reach 140,000 tons at the end of the 2013 – 2014 season, about 40% increase, said the Peruvian Association of Mango Producers and Exporters (EMPA).   “At the rate we’re going, we can easily overcome our initial projection of 100,000 tons and will be producing betweenContinue Reading