News (Page 268)

The summer of 2012 was marked by above-average rainfall across much of the Southeast. And with the heavy rains came increased outbreaks of Phytophthora fruit rot in watermelons, according to a news release. “Since we had more wet weather this growing season than we’ve ever had since I’ve been here,Continue Reading

Ecuadorian banana producers have begun sending their first fruit to China with the hope of seeing success on this bustling market. Manuel Romero, executive director of the Ecuadorian Banana Corporation (Agroban), spoke with www.freshfruitportal.com about the recently established trade trail period. “We had contact with a few state importers that were interestedContinue Reading

Frank Huezo has been in the dragonfruit business for less than a year, but the Nicaraguan producer already has big plans to transform the U.S. market. Based in La Concepcion, the 75-acre farm, El Socorro, came to Huezo serendipitously this past April, just as the U.S. opened its borders to theContinue Reading

Dorothy Luvai’s desire for growing thorny melon began in 2008 due to desperation for an income generating crop. “I come from an agricultural zone; I wanted to farm something different from the usual maize crop that is grown in Kitale. After doing some research, with the help of the KenyaContinue Reading

The Hortifrutícola Association of Colombia and the National Development Fund Hortifrutícola organized the first Latin American Congress of pineapple, which took place in Villavicencio. In this space unveiled the latest product in production, harvest, postharvest, marketing and logistics. The event was attended by 200 people, including national and international experts inContinue Reading

The lychee season has started. Almost a month earlier than expected. After a brief relapse the fruit is now increasingly found on shelves. At the moment, the lychee is sold for 10 to 15 Euro per kilo. The drought has created a sweet fruit. A long dry spell is alsoContinue Reading

A new jackfruit variety promoted by the Bureau of Agricultural Research has raised production of the tropical fruit in a fifth-class town in Leyte province. BAR said a P1.28-million project, promoting the use of EVIARC Sweet, the sweetest known jackfruit variety, increased the yield of farmers in Mahaplag, Leyte byContinue Reading

Over one million farmers in the Philippines have been impacted by Typhoon Haiyan according to the UN. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says that hundreds of thousands of hectares of rice have been destroyed. Coconut plantations which are a big earner of foreign currency were said to be “completelyContinue Reading

Dubai has bolstered its good standing in the fruit and vegetable trade by fostering growth in the international trade of these items. According to statistics issued by Dubai Customs, the emirate’s trade in these foodstuffs amounted to about AED 6.4bn in the first half of 2013, compared to AED 5.4bnContinue Reading

The fungal disease Banana Freckle has spread to two more locations in the Northern Territory, according to the Department of Primary Industry. Two new eradication zones have been declared around properties in Humpty Doo and Acacia Hills, south of Darwin. Chief plant health manager Stephen West says all banana plantsContinue Reading

ULLMAN, Wash. – No more pitting guava against eucalyptus when it comes to explaining how a poorly understood fungal disease spreads. That is the conclusion reported by an international team of scientists in the journal Molecular Ecology. The team used a common forensic technique to clear guava’s good name. InContinue Reading