While prices for most Australian commodities are bumping along the floor, local avocados are fetching a king’s ransom thanks to hostile weather, strict quarantine laws and a Christmas binge. Outside South and Central America, where the fruit is native, Australia has the highest per-capita consumption in the world, at an annual 3.2 kilograms (kg), or… Read more »
The New Zealand export of fresh fruit and vegetables has grown considerably in 2015 compared to the previous year. This is shown in figures from Fruit and Vegetables Facts. In total New Zealand was able to sell 1.27 million tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables abroad in the last year. This was a record with… Read more »
Australian vegetable grower body AUSVEG has applauded the decision of the Papua New Guinean Government to temporarily lift the ban on the import of selected Australian fruits and vegetables for three months. In August last year, the Papua New Guinea National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA) prohibited the importation of many levied vegetables including… Read more »
PERTH’S wholesale fruit and vegetable market has been sold to the horticulture industry-based consortium Perth Markets Limited. In what has been a major cornerstone investment, West Australian Treasurer Mike Nahan announced on Friday that Perth Markets – an industry consortium led by the Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries in WA – would purchase the… Read more »
SOUTHERN NSW farmers will have a more direct link to booming export markets in Asia with Canberra airport now opening its doors to international cargoes. An announcement in January opened the door to Canberra International Airport commencing flights to Singapore and Wellington in September, via Singapore Airlines. Federal Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb will… Read more »
A study by a team of researchers at Daedong Hospital in Busan and Seoul National University College of Medicine has revealed that vegetables are best for beating the blues, as a meat-heavy diet means more susceptibility to depression. Researchers classified the diets of 9,717 adults into three categories: Western (meat, fried foods, carbonated drinks, instant noodles… Read more »
Five years ago, a 5.5-kilogram tray of avocados sold for AUD$4 in Australia. Today, a single avocado goes for as high as $8. Like many fruit producers, avocado farmers across Australia have banded their efforts together under large corporate groups that coordinate marketing and schedule production to guarantee constant supply and steady pricing. The dangerous… Read more »
MANGOES from Katherine could appear on the plates of Chinese consumers in the near future as part of a bid to boost the profile of Australian-grown fruit in the booming market. Michael Daysh, market development officer with the Territory government’s Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries, was part of a delegation that attended the China… Read more »
MOVES to consolidate two peak grains industry service groups into an emerging national body are underway. Fairfax Agricultural Media understands the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) is currently holding talks with Wheat Quality Australia (WQA) and Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council (GLNC) on a potential merger. It comes after the AEGIC took over the… Read more »
AVOCADO growers have slammed suggestions of an avocado conspiracy theory that has led to a national shortage of the fruit. Fairfax Media reported International Avocado Society president Antony Allen said farmers threw all their stock onto supermarket shelves in the lead up to Christmas to help them deal with the usual slow January period. He… Read more »
New Zealand is preparing for another record apple season, with predictions of increased yields, high quality fruit and growing market demand. Mr Apple Production Manager Robert Sykes says good weather in the Hawkes Bay region has made for strong growing conditions that promise a great harvest in a few weeks time. “We came off a… Read more »
Analysis by professional service firm Deloitte has revealed returns of Australian Stock Exchange listed agribusinesses have far-outperformed major stock indices locally, and abroad. In a new report, economists calculated the average return of 38 listed agribusinesses at 66.9 per cent, compared with the S&P ASX 300 index (-0.3 per cent) and the US S&P 500… Read more »
Australian exporters welcome news trade pact with China will commence before Christmas A wish, following news that the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) will enter force on 20 December. The timing of the ratification will deliver a rapid double tariff cut – the first upon ChAFTA’s implementation and another on 1 January 2016. David Minnis, chairman… Read more »
Australian farmers say an international agreement to scrap agricultural export subsidies will put them on a level playing field with their competitors from overseas. More than 160 member countries of the World Trade Organisation have agreed to remove the subsidies, which include direct payments, loans, tax breaks and other financial arrangements used by countries to… Read more »
New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has forecast horticultural export revenues during the year ending June 2016 to rise 16% to NZ$4.8 billion. The expected NZ$668 million boost is led by the recovery of the kiwifruit industry, significant increases in apple exports, continued growth from the wine industry, and assisted by likely favourable exchange rates…. Read more »
Australia’s GrainCorp has planned to invest more than $30 million in a 50-50 joint venture with Japan’s Zen-Noh Grain Corporation to enter into North American market. GrainCorp already runs two container loading sites in Calgary, Alberta, from where it will start operating after joint investment in the grain supply management field with Japan. The partnership… Read more »
China’s imports and exports shrank again in November but there were signs a decline in domestic demand might be turning around. Customs data showed exports contracted by 6.8 per cent, accelerating from October’s 3.6 per cent. Imports declined 8.7 per cent, an improvement over the previous month’s 16 per cent fall. A fall in global… Read more »
RISING demand for lentils from around the world has helped push this year’s South Australian lentil crop to a record 189,000 tonnes worth close to $250 million. The latest Australian Crop Report made the optimistic lentil forecast yesterday with South Australia expected to produce well over half the nation’s lentil crop. With the lentil harvest… Read more »
