The universal Pink Lady brand is quickly turning uniquely South African with yearly sales to the UK up 13%, Tru-Cape Marketing reports. As the largest Southern Hemisphere supplier of the premium apple, South Africa also affords late season availability through cool-region irrigation. This comes in the wake of the phenomenal success of the equally universally appealing Flash Gala brand.  Calla du Toit,...

EQUII, a company that changed the flour industry in 2023 with the world’s first complete flour and Bread products, has partnered with the honorary French baked goods maker, Bridor. The deal will see Bridor feature EQUII’s amino acid-rich flour in a wide array of baked goods from dinner rolls to artisan loaves. This agreement follows the August 7, 2024 announcement of the launch...

Originally published September 27, 2024. Soy, corn and wheat have eased their resilient upward price run since July 25, 2024 on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) futures. Soybean pricing slipped from September 25 due to both the ongoing American harvest and favorable weather in South America.   Corn’s fall owes to supply increment courtesy the ongoing Midwest harvest and ample stocks,...

First published September 27, 2024. Egypt’s new potato planting season could cut prices by 50%, after summer’s retail rates edged to E£35 ($0.72) per kilo. At the height of the price surge in July 2024, analysts had briefed Ahram Online that rates would halve by December. The planting season for the 3- to 4-month tuber had already begun in the Nile region end...

First published September 27, 2024. India’s expulsion of the minimum export price (MEP) mandate on basmati rice will benefit importers in mainly West Asia, Europe and North America. In September 2024, the global rice exporter ended the $950 per tonne MEP after the 2024 monsoon improved production.  Increasing world demand has been telling on the country’s export figures for sometime. Even during...

Originally published September 26, 2024. It might be gnarled and imposing, but baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) or “tree of life” is lately improving income in Zimbabwe. This follows a rise in import demand of the tree’s fruit produce from Western food and health brands. With a 5-million local baobab tree population according to the governmental export body, Zimtrade, Zimbabwe is surely...

Originally published September 25, 2024. Australia could overcome a long-standing ban on rock lobster exports to China by Christmas 2024, the Trade Ministry hopes.  Trade headwinds began easing after China promised in August 2024 to ease Aussie rock lobster import stipulations. However, there are still a few “hoops” to jump over that are raising concern. With China not specifying the...

War in the Middle-East continues to impact Israeli vegetable and fruit produce, which is slowly but surely turning into waste. The war’s initial half year cost the economy 1 billion shekels ($265.8 million) in food waste. This according to the yearly Food Waste and Rescue Report by food rescue body, Leket Israel via the Times of Israel. In production terms, the war...

Originally published September 24, 2024. Hyderabad in southern India and Pune in the west are investing heavily on rainwater harvesting systems to reduce runoffs. Rain serves between 50 and 52% of India’s agricultural cropland during the monsoon per year, hence its conservation.  Hyderabad’s Mandate In its part, Hyderabad has mandated rainwater harvesting from January 2025 via its Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS)...

Originally published September 24, 2024. Week 2 of the Iowa corn harvest has registered a 3% weekly output increase,  even as a new short corn breed readies to occupy a drying corn belt.  Concerning the harvest progress, Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig describes the fall crop as ready in most of the state. Responding to a U.S. Department of Agriculture...