Agricultural nations and product innovators, alongside fruit and vegetable exhibitors successfully promoted their ware at the concluded FRUIT LOGISTICA 2024. The trade fair took place in Berlin from February 5 to7 and attracted 66,000 visitors from 145 nations. The event’s hallmark were agricultural showcases by over 2,779 exhibitors. Exhibitions from the host nation, Germany, included an avocado-pitting and peeling commercial robot line by Kronen GmBH....
Vietnamese buyers relish cheaper Aussie lobster
Vietnam is cashing in on rock lobster imports from Australia, which are selling cheaper than local lobster. The same applies to frozen imports from Alaska which are costing as little as VND 600,000 ($24.53) per kilo. Ever since China cut off Australia’s lobster market in 2023, Vietnamese buyers have stepped into the void with record imports. In 2023 alone, all lobster...
California awaits steady spring time broccoli supplies after rain
As early spring harvest timings approach, California, home to 90% of all U.S. broccoli is holding on to current stocks. The West Coast market is steady despite recent floods that swept away crops in the central, western and southern regions. One such affected place is Monterey, the county in Central California which produces 40% of the state’s broccoli. The area...
Competition Commission of South Africa to stage pro-poultry market inquiry
South Africa’s Competition Commission is set to conduct a far-reaching market inquiry into the poultry sector. This comes barely three weeks after the government announced 25 to 30% rebates on chicken meat imports to manage inflation. Though general inflation slowed down by 5.5% in quarter 3, 2023, South Africa’s chicken inflation rose to 7.3% in November. This is why the commission wants to redeem...
Mexico ships 138,000 tons of ‘guacamole’ avocados for Super Bowl
Super Bowl LVIII final kicked off Sunday, February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, U.S. to a parallel guacamole lovers’ celebration. At the event, sports and entertainment enthusiasts savored some of the 138,000 tons of avocado that came this season from Michoacán, Mexico. With San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs reprising a 2021 rematch, fans were scooping away guacamole from the stands....
Cherries in British Columbia bud late after freezing winter
Cherry farmers in the southwestern province of British Columbia (B.C.) in Canada are unsure when flower budding may start. This is after an unpredictable freezing and rainy winter delayed the usual bud formation timings. Cherries in British Columbia normally begin to form buds in February before flowers blossom in early April. Then the dark red fruits mature in June and are ready to...
Thailand’s coconuts to benefit from 50 billion-baht spending in Lunar New Year
Thailand, producer of 500 million coconut kernels annually, is welcoming the 2024 Lunar New Year with ample supplies of coconuts. The February 10 holiday could propel spending by 10% or 50 billion baht ($1.39 billion), a boon for the coconut jelly business. This will be the highest spending since 2021, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s field survey. Coconut...
Trader Joe’s chicken pilaf on the rocks
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has put out a public alert for Trader Joe’s chicken pilaf over claims it may contain rocks. USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) issued the nationwide warning on possible contamination of the popular snack on February 7, 2024. A consumer who ate the frozen ready-to-eat food complained of teeth injury and reported of stones in...
Chinese consumers court easy times amid record 14-year price drop
Chinese consumers are taking a lukewarm approach to commodity prices, which have dropped to their lowest in 14 years. At the same time, buyers know that the government could enforce counter-deflationary measures that might raise food prices. China’s consumer price index (CPI) dipped 0.8% January 2024, year-on-year. This in spite of 0.2% and 0.3% consecutive monthly CPI upticks in November and December 2023,...
EU simmers down on farmers, endorses major 2040 climate target
The European Commission has backed down on a previous requirement to cut non-carbon dioxide gases on farms by 30% before 2040. Instead of farmer-targeting measures, the European Union (EU) on February 6 decided to cut industrial greenhouse gases by 90% by 2040. The decision is a goodwill gesture to European farmers who have been protesting in France and Belgium over climate-related...