The two major reefer terminal handlers in Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Vlissingen and Rotterdam say reefer boxes will not be caught in the congestion affecting the container ports.
In an update regarding COVID-19, the Irish multinational says that while it expects satisfactory results in 2020, earnings are now likely to be lower than in F2019.
Importers warn Hong Kong consumers that supply chain disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak will cause the cost of fruit and vegetables to rise sharply.
The Filipino banana association claims officials have different interpretations of the national guidelines, which has led to confusion and the interruption of supply chains.
Workers from sectors such as forestry, tourism and hospitality, shut down because of the Covid-19 outbreak, will be able to offset the significant kiwifruit picker/packer shortage.
As a result, Grindrod Intermodal is now able to offer Thermo King Genset equipment to customers across South Africa.
Fruit and vegetables may become increasingly scarce in Europe, as the coronavirus pandemic hampers the global movement of produce and people needed to harvest crops.
In its first 5 months of operation, the US$1bn DP World multipurpose port handled a total of 8.9m boxes of bananas, according to AEBE data.
While the EU is a concern and there may in general be a shortage of reefer containers, internal logistics in China are expected to be fully operational in time for the citrus season.
Just as liner schedules from China are getting back to normal, weak demand in the west has forced Maersk and MSC to blank two Asia - Europe/Med sailings.
While the coronavirus outbreak has led to a surge in retail sales of Washington apples, it may also prevent growers from sourcing H-2A-visa foreign guest workers.
New US Department of Agriculture figures show per capita consumption of avocadoes has tripled since 2001, jumping to 3.6kgs per person in 2018.
The damage to crops in Emilia-Romagna is likely to be widespread, with stonefruit, kiwifruit and pears worst affected, according to producer consortium Apo Conerpo.
UK produce growers have launched a recruitment drive, calling for a modern-day 'land army' to prevent millions of tonnes of fruit and vegetables going to waste.
The forthcoming oil price war is expected to raise global oil production by more than 2.5m barrels of oil a day, which would outpace demand for crude by 6m barrels of oil a day.
The federal government has issued a notification suspending onion exports due to the increase in demand coinciding with a spike in coronavirus cases in Pakistan.
Exemptions are granted to agricultural operations, which will continue with the citrus, pome and avocado seasons in full swing and table grapes entering their final fortnight.
Australia's two major retailers have relaxed specifications for fruit and vegetables in an effort to improve supplies of fresh produce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The multinational says it has taken numerous steps to date aimed at navigating the challenging global situation, supporting its employees, and ensuring business continuity.
The South African industry body says that fruit supply chain stakeholders will be able to continue their activities and that products will be able to flow to domestic and foreign markets.
More than 1,300 seasonal workers due to arrive in the country in the next two months cannot now make the journey, kiwifruit growers claim.
The volume and value of Turkey's fresh fruit and vegetable exports increased 11% and 28% respectively year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020.
The Spanish government has once again rejected calls for the imposition of new safeguard clauses on South African citrus imports.
Despite the domestic social dramas and the coronavirus outbreak, blueberry shipments decreased by only 1.5% during the 2019 - 2020 season.
Despite turning away a container ship due to coronavirus risk over the weekend, New Zealand’s major apple export port remains 'full steam ahead'.
More than 11,000 reefer containers earmarked to transport apples to Asian markets are currently stranded at the Chinese port of Shenzhen.
The disruption in the aviation sector following the outbreak of the Covid-19 has already dealt a major blow to exports of perishables.
The Ghana Export Promotion Authority is considering key measures to support pineapple exports, which it claims have been affected by a fall in demand in EU markets.
The industry warns that the increase in banana volume sold through retail chains will not offset the sales lost through the closure of street markets and independent grocers.
Fruit crops may be left to rot in Scottish fields, with the coronavirus and Brexit expected to lead to a chronic labour shortage.
Europe's largest banana ripener and distributor currently imports nearly 390,000 boxes of bananas per week and by the end of the year, this figure will rise to 500,000 boxes.
The Danish carrier said its Q1 earnings would take a hit from weak volumes and that its 2020 earnings outlook would be suspended due to uncertainty in the global transport sector.
In the first two months of 2020, the volume and value of Turkish citrus exports increased 11% and 34% respectively.
Exporters claim that lockdowns in response to the coronavirus outbreak are causes for concern, with retail demand in the UK and Germany dipping dramatically.
The world's largest manufacturer of marine containers and Globe Tracker ApS have signed a multi-year agreement to offer state-of-the-art reefer tracking and monitoring.
After first being detected in the region in 2018, the serious plant disease is moving towards being eradicated from Australia's Northern Territory.
Ports around the world have started restricting vessels arriving from certain countries until they have completed a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
The Costa Rican government has ruled out cutting fees to reduce container handling tariffs at the port and is instead considering four alternatives to mitigate statutory rate rises.
In order to ensure both continuity of supply and health security for their staff, distributors have collectively decided to suspend packing lines.
Onion traders in Nashik are upbeat on the resumption of exports and expect to ship at least 200K MT of the commodity by next month.
One of Brazil's largest mango exporters says that the intensification of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe has led to a significant rise in demand.
The country's Citrus Growers' Association says it is critical that exporters confirm that there are enough reefer containers available before they start shipping.
Container ports and terminal may lose up to 80m TEU of handling volume in 2020, according to consultancy SeaIntelligence.
In the first two months of 2020, the value of fruit exports fell 22% year-on-year, led by a significant reduction in the value of cherry and table grape exports.
The first of a planned 47 charter vessels carrying new season Zespri kiwifruit has left Tauranga Harbour bound for Japan.
However, the increase in value of fruit exports from the United States in 2019 offset the fall in value from Taiwan's other two major supplier nations, New Zealand and Chile.
Importers have indicated this season they will introduce Sweet Sapphire and Autumn Crisp as well as Candy Heart, Sweet Grove, midnight beauty and Long Thompson.
Pipfruit stakeholders say that despite the outbreak, consumer demand is strong and the only risks to a successful season revolve around logistics and cool chain.
The Tunisian Government says the population should prioritise the consumption of domestically produced fresh produce.
Available containers at many major ports around the world outside of China stand at record lows, according to new data published by Container xChange.
The Chinese online retailer claims it has become the world's first online retailer to supply Zespri branded kiwifruit directly to consumers.
U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics show that the 1.11m MT of imports in 2019 were 6.4% above the 2018 figure of 1.04m MT and 22.7% more than the 900K MT in 2017.
As the coronavirus related port congestion eases container lines are cancelling surcharges for reefer containers destined for Chinese ports with immediate effect.
Kuwait's leading retailer has chartered special flights to bring in Indian fruits and vegetables in order to meet the urgent needs of the market.
A University of California report finds that table grapes were the most vulnerable among a total of 7 crops badly affected by smog.
Following a successful arrival of the first container, Pakistan says it intends to export 50,000–80,000 tonnes of the soft citrus variety to China over the next few years.
Exports of fresh produce from Bangladesh have been hit in the wake of flight restrictions imposed by several Middle Eastern countries to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Argentine Northwest Citrus Association estimates that this year's lemon crop will be the second lowest in the past decade.
While container lines continue to blank sailings in response to low demand, ports are starting to operate at normal productivity levels, and cargo backlogs are beginning to clear.
Bangladesh produces around 11m tonnes of potatoes annually, but a negligible amount is currently exported.
Following the authorisation of Fuerte exports last month, Kenya's Directorate of Horticulture has opened the doors for Hass exports 15 days earlier than planned.
As a result of the Iranian market going into lockdown, shippers have suspended exports with the result that domestic markets have been flooded.
The value of Turkish exports to Russia was over US$700m in the first two months of this year, a 26% increase compared to a year earlier, data showed.
German carrier Hapag-Lloyd says more places to plug in reefers have become available and the company is no longer diverting cargoes on a large scale.
Strong demand in the US and EU has meant that fruit diverted from China has thus far been readily absorbed at no sacrifice to price levels.
As the coronavirus situation in China subsides, roads are being re-opened, markets are recovering and the fruit trade is gradually rebounding.
The National Banana Board says bacterial corm rot agent Erwinia has spread from Ecuador and requires additional investment to prevent further growth.
The Australian horticultural company and the city of Baoshan in southwest China's Yunnan Province have agreed to jointly develop a blueberry planting project in the province.
The multinational takes its shareholding in the German distributor to 74% after agreeing to acquire the stakes held by the Capespan Group and Gemüsering.
Despite passing the €1bn mark in sales revenue, the Italian multinational posted a year-on-year reduction in net profit due to higher costs and financial charges.
A combination of reduced Asian demand as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and high winds reducing the volume of fancy lemons led to a widening of Q1 losses.
The Guatemalan Government has passed a decree requiring the Ministry of Agriculture to fumigate banana and plantain plantations.
Fruit and vegetable exports grew again in 2019, reaching a total of €13.4bn, which represented an increase of 4.4% over the figure for 2018.
After six years in the position Dr Konanani Liphadzi, the first Chief Executive Officer of Fruit South Africa has decided to step down in order to pursue other interests.
The COVID-19 epidemic has resulted in the worst financial losses in history for Myanmar's melon exports through the border town of Muse.
The increase in Organic, Green and Gold kiwifruit volumes handled by the post-harvest operator will more than offset the fall in Sweet Green, Enza Gold and Red.
Within four weeks Iceland's largest fishing company is duty bound to make an offer to other shareholders in accordance with governing law.
The Davao-based reefer operator is to launch a direct shipping route between Mindanao and the Middle East to allow banana growers to directly tap the growing Middle Eastern market for their produce.
The agri-business bank says the coronavirus brings complications for exporters of crops with a high reliance on China, such as pipfruit and kiwifruit.
Spain's largest fresh produce exporter registered a year-on-year increase in both volumes and sales revenue in 2019.
