Malaysia has stopped the import of two brands of apples from California because of fears that they could be tainted with the Listeriosis bacteria, reported Malaysian media. Agriculture minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the ministry had received a notice from the US authorities that the Gala red apples and Granny Smith green apples from California… Read more »
Frozen berries in New Zealand are free from Hepatitis A. New Zealand retailers have assured consumers that their berry products are safe from disease after a brand of frozen berries was recalled in Australia due to possible contamination. New Zealand Herald reports that a full national recall of Nanna’s frozen mixed berries was issued by… Read more »
Australia’s 2014-15 pulse crop just got a lot bigger, but the market largely shrugged it off. Total pulse production in the February Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) crop report was up 13 percent over the December estimate. That is a huge increase, but the 2014-15 winter crop harvest will still… Read more »
Up to 450,000 people may have eaten the frozen berries suspected of transmitting hepatitis A, as four more people were diagnosed with the disease on Saturday. 70,000 packets of the Chinese berries are sold each week in Australia, putting nearly half a million people at risk and sparking concerns over potential future cases. 18 people… Read more »
Australian and New Zealand cherries have reaped high prices in Shanghai ahead of the Lunar New Year Cherries have once again been ticketed as the hottest selling fruit in the lead up to Chinese New Year on 19 February, with importers in Shanghai reporting strong sales for Australian and New Zealand cherries in particular…. Read more »
India, the world’s second-largest wheat grower, will harvest a near-record crop this year, expanding domestic inventories and widening a global grain glut. The crop may total 95.8 million metric tons in 2014-15, compared with an all-time high of 95.9 million tons a year earlier, the Agriculture Ministry said in an e-mailed statement. Rice production will… Read more »
Seedless grapes from India have become an integral part of certain French sparkling wines and Australian wines. Even as some grape exporters are engaged in setting up sustainable business practices with European importers, many say some varieties have found favour in France and Australia despite both origins being major grape producers. India is one of… Read more »
Representatives of key apple and pear producing and exporting countries from around the world met on 6 February 2015 at the recent Fruit Logistics fair in Berlin for the annual general meeting of the World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA). During its annual meeting WAPA elected Mr. Daniel Sauvaitre (ANPP – France) as its new… Read more »
Exports of Southern Hemisphere apples are expected to fall 5% in 2015, but pear exports should jump about 4%. About 1.7 million metric tons of apples will be exported from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa this year, according to the annual forecast from the Brussels-based World Apple and Pear Association. About… Read more »
Australian wheat farmers will face an increasing challenge keeping up with their neighbours’ appetite for bread and noodles. Demand from Indonesia, the Philippines and three other Southeast Asian nations is set to jump 40 per cent to 13.2 million tons by 2020, said Greg Harvey, chief executive officer of Interflour Group, one of the region’s… Read more »
Prosumer Group is proud to be a sponsor of Melbourne’s most popular Indian festival, Holi – a celebration of ‘The Festival of Colours’, on Saturday 7 March 2015 at the Werribee Race Course. This is the second year in a row this festival is being celebrated at the same venue. In 2014, despite the inclement weather,… Read more »
Demand for Uruguayan fresh fruit is on the rise in the international market and this is reflected in last year’s export figures. In 2014, Uruguay exported 128,000 tonnes of fruit to 40 countries, with a value that exceeded US$ 115 million, 20% more than in the previous year. Fruit shipments are also diversifying, even though… Read more »
Portugal aims to double its exports of fruits and vegetables by 2020, President of Association Portugal Fresh Manuel Evora said on Thursday, according to Portuguese Lusa News Agency. Over 40 national producers will showcase what they have to offer from next Wednesday in Berlin, Germany, at Fruit Logistica. “This fair is very important because we… Read more »
The insatiable appetite for Tasmanian cherries in Asia has prompted an enterprising business to export Australia’s first batch of cherry juice. A cider company from the Huon Valley in south east Tasmanian, Pagan Ciders, is hoping to export cherry juice alongside their existing lines of cider into countries like Taiwan and Singapore at a premium… Read more »
Frank Costa flags overseas sale for Costa Group Frank Costa says his Costa Group could be the latest agricultural company to be sold to overseas interests, after Australia’s largest grower and distributor of fruit and vegetables confirmed it is up for sale. As exclusively revealed by Street Talk on Wednesday, Costa Group will pursue an… Read more »
India’s mango exports are expected to rise by 40-50 percent next fiscal year, following the lifting of the EU import ban, says Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh. “The lifting of the ban by the European Union will boost mango exports. The country’s overall exports are expected to increas by 40-50 percent next fiscal,” Singh told… Read more »
Australia’s largest horticulture producer, the Costa Group, has shut the gates on its grape farms at St George and Menindee. The company said the ‘regrettable’ decision to close the farms, in southern Queensland and western New South Wales respectively, had ‘not been taken lightly’. In a written statement, Costa outlined ‘that changed industry and market… Read more »
California plums will add significantly to the counter-seasonal stone fruit category in Australia from 2015, following access being approved by Australian quarantine authorities. Marcy Martin, Trade Director with California Fresh Fruit Association, said success over the past two seasons for California white and yellow-fleshed peaches and nectarines indicated there will also be good demand for… Read more »
