The red snow crab season has begun on September 2, 2023 on the Sea of Japan along the Tokoyama coast.  After relying long on Siberian snow crab imports, residents in Japan can therefore now enjoy a “homegrown” crab repast. Red crabs in Japan require deep sea fishing and consequently, the first fishing vessels ventured 24 kilometers offshore on Friday, September 1st. Commercial haulers on...

First, some news! We have just launched a plant haven – Plant Families. It’s a botanical journey unlike any other, full of an enchanting array of plants that span the spectrum of nature’s beauty, from exotic flora to essential crops. Discover insights into cultivation, care, and the remarkable stories behind each plant, as we celebrate the green wonders that grace...

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also doubles as the agriculture minister, has ordered a price cap on rice in the country, effective immediately. The price ceiling for regular milled rice is set at 41 Philippine pesos ($0.72) per kilogram, while well-milled rice is capped at 45 pesos ($0.79) per kilogram. The price cap was imposed amid an “alarming” increase...

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) recently published a report on the uptick climb of Africa’s value-added goods production. The report focused on the continent’s rising investment profile in the global supply chain. This leads naturally to the place of agriculture, which employs at least 52% of Africa’s working population as of 2021. With this in mind, we got in touch...

Two women leaders in the United States have given voice to the generational transition happening in the agriculture scene with two different modern approaches.   On Monday, August 28, 2023, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small toured North Carolina University where she hailed farming technology as a future solution for shrinking farmlands.  In Minnesota, U.S. senator Tina Smith mentioned a bill she is proposing...

Eating lion’s mane mushrooms may have a link to better memory, according to a scientific finding.  Researchers have concluded that Hericium erinaceus mushrooms contain a beneficial substance inside their large, snow-white edible ‘manes.’ The study on their memory-boosting ability first appeared in the European Journal of Neuroscience in January, 2023.  Confirmation through tests on mice came this week and concluded that Hericene A compound in these fungi are beneficial...

Following a surge by 80% in India’s green onion prices, Nepal and Bangladesh are facing a similar spike in this staple of Asian cooking. The culprit is inflation, which has battered India for the better part of 2023. Compounded by the sporadic monsoon rains of March, 2023 that destroyed local crops, inflation has made food costly.  Wholesale onion prices in India shot...

Dungeness crab business is losing out in Oregon after the fisheries authorities imposed restrictions on fishing to safeguard the endangered humpback whales from accidental entrapment. On August 4, 2023, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission selected to indefinitely extend the fishing moratorium that was originally slated to end this summer. The Oregon Dungeness crab market was worth $91 million in...

The US lobster season is in full swing after Florida opened its fishing waters this summer.  There are more happenings including the growing love for rock lobsters (spiny lobsters), the rarity of the blue lobster and the discovery of a new way to harvest shellfish as soon as they molt in Taiwan.   The gulf stream fans interest for spiny lobsters...

Mexico and Peru are sharing the American love for fresh tropical avocados via back-to-back seasons. While Mexico is the de facto supplier of over 80% of all avocado imports into the U.S., Peru is the benefiting cheerleader. Since 2009, the country has been supplying the U.S. out of season. For an avocado season that peaks in May through August, the Peruvian avocado season...