Despite denials that Covid-19 has been detected on packaging and efforts to reassure consumers, there has been a marked decrease in demand for cherries ahead of the peak sales period.
Zespri's bid to market counterfeit Chinese SunGold kiwifruit in order to stem illegal growing in the country has been declined by the Government-appointed regulator.
The acquisition of the Group means the Danish international shipping and logistics company's cold chain business will become the leading provider in Northern Europe.
Despite the lack of rainfall and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, exports of fruits and vegetables show an increase of 9% compared to the previous season.
In its annual review and forecast, marine consultancy Drewry says the global trade in reefer cargo will hit 156m MT by 2024, growing at an annual rate of 3.7%.
Distributors of imported cherries say demand has plummeted over mounting consumer worries after samples of imported cherries were found to be COVID-19 positive.
Saudi Arabian authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle 20m amphetamine tablets into the country.
UK Border Force officers have disrupted 'industrial scale' drug smuggling after seizing almost a tonne of cocaine hidden among bananas at the Port of Southampton.
The European Fresh Produce Association says that so far a worst case scenario has been avoided but the Brexit impact on the European fresh produce sector is mounting.
For the first time, reefer containers carrying bananas have been loaded on a South Central Railway service from Andhra Pradesh to Mumbai for onward export to the Middle East.
In the first 11 months of 2020, the value of Colombian banana exports fell 3% year-on-year, with results from the Benelux, UK and German markets particularly disappointing.
Insurers are expected to take a much closer look at the recent spate of accidents that have seen nearly 3,000 containers spill into the Pacific in the space of just 47 days.
Citrus exports will be allowed to any US port that has cold storage facilities, including Charleston in South Carolina and Savannah in Georgia.
Uruguayan citrus shipper Citrícola Salteña, which is awaiting a judicial resolution to bankruptcy proceedings, was the country’s largest produce exporter in 2020.
The Indian state of Gujarat's decision to rename dragon fruit because of the original name's 'association with China' has sparked a storm of derision.
By joining forces with the Rungis wholesaler the US multinational will be able to expand its footprint in the French market.
The Prefect of Martinique has announced the launch of an investigation into 'deceptive commercial practices' following the launch of the advertising campaign.
The Ministry of Agriculture has increased the quota for the supply of fresh or chilled tomatoes from Turkey from 200K MT to 250K MT.
The multinational's frozen food business at King's Lynn in Norfolk is expanding its workforce in order to become a 24/7 operation.
The carrier says the Peak Season Surcharge is necessary in order for it to continue providing customers with reliable and efficient services.
In its first quarterly earnings report since its October IPO, the US avocado distributor posted income of $21.9m on revenue of $206.8m.
Shipments to Indonesia are underway, two months earlier than last year due to New Zealand government trade officials' efforts to keep trade open and a decision by Indonesian officials to release quota early.
South African and other citrus shippers can now export citrus fruits and leaves to the UK without needing a phytosanitary certificate or having to give advanced notice of their intention.
South Korea's Sinokor Merchant Marine Company is to acquire 1,700 new reefer containers to expand its inventory serving routes in the Asia-Pacific region.
Despite hail in the Langkloof and fewer Williams pears, the volume of South African pome fruit exports is forecast above 55m cartons this season.
The multinational is to certify 90% of its Central American pineapple supplies Rainforest Alliance by the end of the year and has a target of 100% soon after.
Some 200K MT of Chilean cherries had arrived in China by the end of December and with a further 110K MT anticipated, there is pressure on pricing.
German carrier Hapag Lloyd says that the Dalian Terminal in China has stopped accepting reefer cargo as the reefer plugs at the port are fully occupied.
The Chengdu-based cold chain logistics solution provider says it has secured RMB600m from Longfor Capital, CICC Capital, and Far East Horizon.
In 2020, exports of tangerines from the Black Sea State increased 22% in volume and 16% in value year-on-year.
Subject to annual approval, the trial will last up to three years and is one of the approaches the kiwifruit marketer is using to combat illegally grown SunGold.
Ecuadorian banana industry association executive director Richard Salazar says that to date, only 30% of exports have been contracted at the Minimum Reference Price.
After a record-breaking performance in 2020, South Africa's largest apple and pear exporter says it must not forget how it succeeded against the odds.
Thanks to the buoyant container throughput rates in 2020, which set a new record, the Port of Antwerp was able to limit the coronavirus-related decline in trade.
The R400m development at the Namibian port was commissioned by the Namibian Industrial Development Agency.
South African industry body Hortgro says a recent hailstorm has affected almost 30% of apple and pear production in the valley.
China has adopted draconian cold chain requirements after it detected coronavirus on the packaging of various products.
Following a report in the Chinese press that called the quality of Australian cherries into question, Cherry Growers Australia says demand for its premium fruit remains strong.
The Southern District of Ohio has ruled against the plea by Ecuadorian banana workers, who allege a number of US companies exposed them to a toxic pesticide.
The Mexican Association of Avocado Producers, Packers and Exporters estimates that 132K MT of avocadoes will be shipped to the US ahead of the game, 4% more than last year.
A recent cold spell that gripped Taiwan has caused nationwide agricultural losses estimated at NT$118.14m (US$4.2m), the country’s Council of Agriculture said.
The Peruvian Association of Mango Producers and Exporters says adverse climatic conditions pre-harvest will cause an estimated 12% drop in exports in 2021.
Italy's largest agribusiness private equity fund and one of the four Zespri licensees in Italy are to plant a potential 160 hectares of the kiwifruit variety in the province of Latina.
One of Costa Rica's largest banana and pineapple exporters says its banana division has received carbon neutral certification.
The US Environmental Protection Agency announced its approval for registering the expanded use of the harmful pesticide to combat the Asian citrus psyllid.
Three durian smuggling gangs have been dismantled after a targeted sting operation in Nanning and Pingxiang in Guangxi province and Dongguan in Guangdong province.
A total of 403K MT of apples worth US$764m were exported in the first 9 months of the current Iranian year, a 34% and 60% year-on-year growth in volume and value, respectively.
While production is on track in 4 of the 5 table grape production regions, the rainfall in the Orange River has had a significant impact on the total volume.
The increase in the November export figure was driven partly by increased demand from the multinationals to supplement hurricane damaged losses in Central America.
The value of Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports and imports both fell in 2020, with the global outbreak of Covid-19 largely to blame.
While there is an increase in the crop estimate for grapefruit, the orange crop is likely to be the lowest since the 45m-box crop in the 2017/18 season.
Summerfruit NZ says that after four days of persistent and heavy rain, 50% of this season's cherries have been lost to splitting, resulting in the loss of NZ$50m in export revenue.
Dutch criminals are increasingly using exports to Africa to launder money which is subsequently invested in diamonds and gold from the continent.
Losses caused by the week-long wave of cold weather may cut the supply of greenhouse and outdoor vegetable production by 40% in the short term, according to exporter association Fepex.
Despite the pandemic, Panama exported 7% more bananas in 2020 with Del Monte subsidiary Banapiña shipping its first 1.5m boxes.
The highly destructive fungal disease is devastating banana plantations on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, putting local supply in jeopardy.
The carrier's 22-day, reefer heavy Asia Express Service from the Chilean port of Valparaiso to Hong Kong is to run from week 3 for 13 weeks.
Despite the resumption of exports by the state-controlled Cameroon Development Corporation, Cameroon's banana exports fell 8% year-on-year in 2020.
Turkish citrus exports increased by 24% year-on-year in 2020, topping $933m in value, according to the information gathered from Mediterranean Exporter Associations.
The company acquired by Fresh Del Monte for US$361m has opened a fifth production plant from which it will supply fresh produce as well as added value salad products.
The operation in McDonough, Georgia is to package frozen fruit for the multinational's retail, food service and private label customers on the US east coast.
Peru shipped a record 156K MT of blueberries in 2020 at a value of US$833m, increases of 28% and 3%, respectively.
The U.S. Coast Guard yesterday suspended a 24-hour search for a seafarer missing from the reefer vessel about 1,200 miles northeast of Bermuda.
Despite the Covid pandemic, banana exports to the world's two largest markets were up by 2% to the end of October last year.
The UK usually exports about 30K MT of British seed potatoes worth some GBP£13.5m to Ireland and mainland Europe every year.
The acquisition will expand the logistics company's range of export capabilities in Morocco, specifically reefer services in cooperation with parent company CMA CGM.
The Polish distributor is to invest €60m in 24 hectares of greenhouses in Kozienice that will be used for the cultivation of tomatoes.
International travel bans have cost farmers an estimated A$38m as fruit and vegetables are left to rot in fields across Australia due to a fruit picker shortage.
The Deputy Director of Agriculture in India's largest table grape production region says shipments in 2020/21 could be 67% greater than last season.
The China Container Industry Association has announced that from July 1, most manufacturers of reefer containers will adopt greener production processes.
Carriers are accused of 'reserving for themselves the ability to change rates whenever they see fit notwithstanding the specific rates and charges agreed.'
After three consecutive years of producing more than 10m trays, Australia's mango industry yields have crashed during the 2020–21 season.
Peruvian avocado exports set a new volume record last year, with the country shipping almost 100K MT more avocadoes in 2020 than in 2019.
However, the rise in volume and value of Kenya's fruit exports offset the fall in vegetable exports, which dropped as a result of reduced foodservice demand in the UK and EU.
Jobless Australians have been offered thousands of dollars to fill fruit picking jobs following the exodus of foreign backpackers due to the coronavirus pandemic.
South African Table Grape body SATI states that while it will take some time to quantify the damage, the industry is optimistic that later cultivars will be 'relatively unscathed'.
The carrier says that the Chinese port has been suffering from significant operational disruptions, which is adversely impacting its ability to unload reefer containers.
Demographic changes have contributed to the growth of avocado consumption in the US, with Hispanic household avocado spending 45% higher than non-Hispanic households.
Hong Kong Seaport Alliance's terminal operators are banking on reefer trades to ward off competition from mainland China, which has caused the port to lose container traffic.
Imported volumes of oranges and grapefruit fell in 2020 largely due to a contracted fruit market affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and related logistical challenges.
