Columnist Kylie Lang writes that if fruit and vegetables were cheaper and truly fresh, more people would eat them. However, as it stands, groceries are high priced, while fast-food chains offer meal deals that are quick, easy and affordable. A new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveals a diet low in… Read more »
An Asian market consultant has told fruit and vegetable growers to prioritise value-adding their produce if they want to tap into the opportunities for export. Noel Shield from Asia Project Management has 20 years experience dealing with retailers in Asia. At an agricultural export and logistics forum in Bundaberg, he told growers accessing foreign markets… Read more »
This is mainly because of decline in shipments of major exportable items such as rice, buffalo meat and guargum in 2015-16. However, for a second year in a row, exports of buffalo meat exceeded that of Basmati rice. India’s agricultural and processed food exports fell by close to 20% in the last fiscal compared with… Read more »
An avocado shortage left consumers’ pockets empty as they refused to give up their favourite fruit and were obliged to pay exorbitant prices for it; the weather was blamed for causing poor growing conditions, which led to the increase in price as farmers couldn’t provide enough avocados to meet demand. But the good news is… Read more »
IT can only be onwards and upwards for the melon industry according to Australian Melon Association chairman, Mark Daunt. With the effects of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) still lingering over the industry, the future outlook was an ever-present thought at the 2016 Bayer Australian Melon Conference and Field Days in Mildura last week…. Read more »
THE AUSTRALIAN pulse industry continues to grapple with the nuances of government policy regarding pulse imports in our most important pulse export market, India. ProFarmer’s Ron Storey said volatility in pulse pricing was not only due to seasonal variability and production downfalls, but said short-term peaks and troughs could be created by Indian government policy…. Read more »
HORTICULTURE is in the box seat to be the next big export commodity boom. Thanks to a host of premium “gold standard” produce, Australia is ideally placed to make the most of the growing wealth of Asia, Special Envoy for Trade and former trade minister Andrew Robb said last week. “In the 200-plus years since… Read more »
Australia’s vegetable crops are being out sold by cheaper imports as the value of the industry falls, according to the peak body for vegetable growers. The entire agricultural industry grew by $2.6 billion in 2014/15, according to new ABS data, with strong gains in sorghum crops, which are primarily used in livestock feed. But the… Read more »
Australians can expect more than 68,000 tonnes of avocados to hit retailer shelves in coming months Avocado production and consumption continues to rise in Australia, with more than 68,000 tonnes of avocados expected to hit retail shelves in coming months. Ideal weather conditions have set the scene for a bumper crop from March to November,… Read more »
The market for grapes is in motion. In addition to a growing production, seasonal changes worldwide are shaping up the market. With the South African season finishing a little earlier than expected, the delayed supply from South America and the northern hemisphere still unable to produce, India has a luxurious position. The country continues dominating… Read more »
Apples are being harvested at one of the last remaining orchards in the New South Wales New England region after a dry growing season. Once producing fruit for the national and international market, the area’s production now services the local market. Grower Warren Yeomans from Greenhill Orchards said these days most of the state’s fruit… Read more »
Lending to Australian agribusinesses has hit a six-year high, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The weaker local currency and strong interest in agricultural assets from overseas investors has been driving the demand for finance in the sector, according to CommSec chief economist Craig James. Growing personal incomes across Asia are seen… Read more »
New Zealand may not be the biggest horticultural producer in the world, but their export has increased significantly in recent years, a New Zealand Fresh Facts report shows. The total export value of the horticultural sector is 3.9 billion dollars, nearly seven percent more than in 2013. For many products, the export increased in the… Read more »
Doubling of farmers’ incomes will require large-scale changes in the output that India currently produces and how it goes about producing it. India will gain massively by shifting focus to pulses and horticulture and by moving people out of agriculture, says a report Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday strongly defended his government’s ambitious promise… Read more »
Believe it or not, Australia, the land of barbeques and Vegemite, is an important grower of rice for the Asian market, with local growers ranking among the best in the world. Australian farmers provide sought-after product to the rice-loving continent, with 80 per cent of their harvests exported overseas. Warren Lang has been farming rice in… Read more »
FRUIT exporters have shaken off a decade of backpedalling to surge ahead with increased output to foreign markets. That’s the summation from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)’s Outlook 2016 agricultural commodities report. Between 2010–11 and 2014–15 the total value of fruit exports grew by $262 million to $770 million… Read more »
The Indian food sector presents exporters with a potentially significant medium- to long-term opportunity. The size of the country’s population – around 1.2bn – and an expanding middle class are driving growth in demand. In the first on our series of articles taking a deep dive into India’s food industry, just-food spoke to international export associations to find… Read more »
New Zealand’s apple industry has come a long way since it was deregulated in 2001, with around 90 exporters working in the country today. In the 2015 season, apple exports reached a record $630 million and this year Pipfruit NZ expects exports to reach 19.5 million cartons, with returns exceeding $700 million. If it’s achieved,… Read more »
