Kashmir’s strawberry harvest was underway May 21, 2024 at the prominent farming village of Gasso in Srinagar. Though this fruit valley in eastern Pakistan looks pleasant at harvest time, it nevertheless promises low yields due to earlier unfavorable weather. Like in 2023, unpredictable rain and untimely April chill already point to yet another diminished production year in 2024. According to farmer Daniyal...

The celebrated three-week paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) fishing season in North Dakota has ended, to protect the local fisheries. The harvest period lasted between May 1 and 15, after which followed a snagging and releasing week ending May 21, 2024. Fishermen have not yet divulged the sizes of their catches to compare with recent weight records. So far, the largest recorded paddlefish came out in...

Coronation town in east-Central Alberta is installing a 12-megawatt (MW) DC solar farm, courtesy of Maple Leaf Green World Inc. According to the company’s press release, Maple Leaf Green World has leased multiple acres of underutilized land in Coronation for the solar farm. While the town will earn tax and lease revenue from the installation, farmers will access affordable green power supply year-round. ...

Orange production in Brazil could plummet to almost the 1988-89 season’s low levels owing to greening disease’s effect on orange groves.  Accordingly, the orange states of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais might harvest 233.38 million 40.8 kg bags (9.73 million tonnes). This will be 24.4% below the 2023-24 period’s output and only better than the 1988-89 levels. The projection is almost half the 2023-24...

Tomato prices in China are up by at least 10 Yuan ($1.38) per 36 kg box amid a low early harvest. This is happening even as China expects the volume of processed tomatoes in 2024 to rise above 2023 volumes to 11 million tonnes.  Despite these appetizing estimates, so far the early harvest quantity in May is at a lull. China harvests tomatoes...

Since April 26, 2024, the yearly Saudi mango festival has been showcasing tens of varieties in Jazan and Al-Qunfudah areas. The key varieties under showcase are popular within and outside Saudi Arabia, including Tommy Atkins, Langra and Sensation. Most farmers’ showcases have been taking place in Mecca region’s Al-Qunfudah near the Red Sea, which produces 50% of national mangoes.  Despite its lengthy summers that last...

Global coffee prices improved week-on-week on May 20, 2024 on falling supplies due to low rain in Brazil and Vietnam. The futures markets registered a top price of $2.09 per pound against $2.08 a pound in the foregoing week.  A week earlier on May 6, prices had hit $2.04 per pound from April highs, but spiked by 1.96% on May 13. The price...

The announcement of the 2024 World Food Prize has renewed interest in global crop profiles in the background of climate change. On May 9, the U.S. Department of State awarded the prize to Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin OBE and Dr. Cary Fowler, who are behind the 1.25 million seed-strong “Doomsday Vault.” The “Doomsday Vault” rests 150 m inside a mountain in the Arctic circle, to...

The ongoing California avocado season of April through June has hit an early milestone of 97,412,297 fruit pounds before May 12. According to the California Avocado Commission (CAC)’s forecast in January 2024, this season’s output will be 208 million pounds. This production will be a little lower than 2023’s 237 million pounds, due to extreme weather changes.  Interestingly, the ongoing harvest is commonplace...

After a belated May 3, 2024 start, the Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) lobster season is finally underway amid a  price depreciation. The delay owed to gushing seas with strong winds at 20 knots (37 km/hour) in late April and early May.  The late opening on May 3 coincided with Mothers Day holiday the following weekend, a time when prices normally fall. By...