The national government has promised avocado farmers in Kenya that it will review a controversial e-tax clause to exempt them from double taxation. Briefing the press in Nairobi on March 26, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said he has formed a committee to review avocado taxes. At the heart of the matter is Section 23A of the Finance Act...
Fabled for its resilience, Zimbabwe’s sugar production has broken the stranglehold of El Niño drought with adequate supply. The Zimbabwe Sugar Association (ZAS) announced sufficient stocks from the December 2023 harvest for home and industrial use to last two seasons. ZAS pointed out that sugarcane production is a year-round affair in Zimbabwe, which means perpetual supplies unlike...
After plummeting from 171 million trays in 2022 to 136 million trays in 2023, New Zealand’s kiwifruit exports point towards a great 2024 rebound. According to aggregate exporter, Zespri, the 2024 crop will reach 190 million trays and will raise per-hectare returns. This is happening when the northern hemisphere, where Zespri operates off-season orchards, is experiencing very tight supplies....
New Zealand on March 22 increased catch limits for spiny rock lobster, blue tuna and páua as respective ocean stocks increase. In its latest biannual review, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries consulted scientific observation and public insight to raise harvest limits. Announcing this development, Oceans and Fisheries Minister, Shane Jones, stated that the review has shown abundant...
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has allowed a company to pair drones over farms, the first step towards economical aerial agriculture. This decision makes practical the use of “drone swarms” or multiple flying machines to work together on one farm. Hitherto, it is has been only possible to fly one machine over a field, with a grounded...
A free training and cold storage project involving 50 farmers and 20 traders has reduced post-harvest losses in some parts of Zanzibar. The project is a partnership between Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and State University of Zanzibar (SAZU). Speaking on March 21 at SUA grounds, the Dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences at SAZU,...
Suzhou in Jiangsu province to the west of Shanghai began harvesting its highly-rated Biluochun tea leaves just before March 19, 2024. This year’s harvest follows the tradition of manual picking to guarantee the best quality for this pan-fried tea. Pan-frying is an oriental tradition that involves firing or toasting raw tea leaves to add flavor to...
The European Union (EU) parliament voted on March 19 to give farmers relative freedom to produce or market old plant varieties. Similar to an early February 2024 relaxation on farm chemical regulations, this newest revision updates earlier tougher directives. It aims to save declining agricultural biodiversity in Europe by increasing certified reproduction stocks of plants in the market. The...
Though California has year-round citrus availability, it is late-season fruits of early spring such as Ojai pixies that garner much appeal. The pixie is a small tangerine that measures 3 inches across its cross-section. It has an easy-to-peel orange skin that harbors a juicy, seedless, sweet flesh. The fruit grows only in eponymous Ojai Valley,...
On March 19, 2024, Soraon village in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (UP) in northern India welcomed the state’s annual potato harvest. At the same time, others in the state are growing new black potatoes. The harvest follows India’s bumper 2023 crop that amounted to 59.7 million tonnes, a 3 million-tonne rise from 2022. India has two main...