News (Page 265)

China is one of the major countries planting genetically modified (GM) crops, but only the papaya is on the market as edible GM farm products (processed products not included), as reported by people.cn, citing Chen Xiwen, office director of China’s Central Rural Work Leading Group.   Chen said the rumorContinue Reading

Research conducted by the Fiji Papaya Project has resulted in the development of a hot water treatment process that has achieved notable results in reducing diseases on export papaya fruit. The hot water treatment complements the High Temperature Forced Air Treatment (HFTA) that is currently being used.   The tests,Continue Reading

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is moving to allow the importation of fresh bananas from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands.   In a statement on its web site on January 28, the USDA said it is “proposing to amend the regulations concerning the importation ofContinue Reading

New Zealand’s fresh produce industry is on high biosecurity alert, following the discovery of a singular male Queensland fruit fly in the country’s north island. The fly was collected from a surveillance trap set in a residential street in Whangarei on Tuesday.   The find has sparked a large-scale reactionContinue Reading

Guava plants in Ceará are beginning improve after a serious psyllid fly infestation. Despite having abundant water from irrigation, lack of rain has left plants vulnerable late last year. The insect multiplied rapidly and destroyed the young leaves, which prevented the growth of the fruits.    To combat the plague, a combination ofContinue Reading

To protect the banana-producing areas in Mexico, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) amended the phytosanitary measures to combat moko disease and prevent further dissemination. The amendments were published as the Official Mexican Standard NOM-068-PHYTO-2000 on the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF), which are open toContinue Reading

The inaugural Produce Marketing Association Fruittrade Latin America international convention and exposition is set for Santiago on Nov. 12-13, organized by the Produce Marketing Association, Fedefruta, Chile’s Fruit Growers Federation and the Yentzen Group.   “This new collaboration is part of PMA’s strategy to help the industry build consumer connectionsContinue Reading

Leading Mexican avocado exporter Mission Produce is crediting Maersk Line’s latest controlled atmosphere (CA) system with extending the shelf life of its offering in Asian markets.   Ideally, Mission avocados arrive in the Far East with a shelf life of around 10 days. The company’s sales export manager Roberto RodriguezContinue Reading

The cultivation of guava in and around the city has seen a multifold increase with the introduction of an Israeli technique of orchard farming.   District horticulture officer Pankaj Kumar Shukla spoke about the pilot project which has been successfully implemented in Maharashtra. It was introduced in some of theContinue Reading