News - Archive



 
 
Growth tipped for SH grapes
2010-10-20
Favourable weather conditions in the Southern Hemisphere look set to result in a larger table grape crop for the new season
 
Exports of table grapes from the Southern Hemisphere are
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French strikes disrupt Sial event
2010-10-20
France’s main agricultural exhibition, Sial, has been affected by major strikes in Paris, with visitors facing delays on public transport.

Strikes are continuing across France today in protest at the Sarkozy
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Australian grapes clinch China access
2010-10-18
The initialling of a protocol in Beijing has cleared the way for Australian grapes to enter China for this season, rep[orts Fruitnet.com.
Australia's table grape industry is celebrating a milestone
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Polish apple crop \"smaller than forecast\"
2010-10-15
European marketers are upbeat following Polish exporter's suggestion that output will be even lower than the anticipated 1.9m tones, reports fruitnet.com.
 
Poland's apple crop is expected to be lower than
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Prevar announces new Smitten apple brand
2010-09-10
New Zealand-based pipfruit commercialisation company Prevar has announced the newly-selected trademark name for its PremA17 apple variety; Smitten.

The company plans to register the name and logo in major global apple
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Italian kiwifruit crop \'20-25 per cent\' down
2010-09-09
An unofficial forecast cited on the Italiafruit News website suggests Italian kiwifruit production will fall by around 20-25 per cent this season compared with the 447,600 tonnes harvested in 2009/10 (according
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APL launches satellite tracking service
2010-09-08
APL has announced the launch of a SMARTemp, a groundbreaking satellite tracking system that monitors the temperature and humidity of reefer containers carrying perishable shipments throughout their voyage.
 
By providing real-time
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T&G case rules in Zespri’s favour
2010-08-12
Setback for New Zealand’s Turners & Growers as High Court rules in favour of kiwifruit marketer Zespri and frustrates efforts to deregulate the New Zealand kiwifruit industry.

A ruling has today
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WTO rules for NZ in apple dispute
2010-08-11
The World Trade Organisation has ruled in favour of New Zealand in the long-running dispute on apple access to Australia .

The bell rang for the penultimate round in the long-running
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EU pear production down across the board
2010-08-08
Not one of the European Union's major pear varieties is forecast to show an increase in terms of volume this season .

Europe's leading pear producers expect to see sharp decreases
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Sharp downturn in major apple varieties
2010-08-07
 European marketers will have smaller volumes of key varieties like Golden Delicious, Gala and Jonagold to play with in 2010/11.

The commercial prospects for this year's EU apple crop, forecast to
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World Cup\'s lasting legacy in South Africa
2010-07-02
South Africa's fresh produce trade, like many other industries, stands to gain from increased interest following the World Cup.
 
As the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa
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Spanish exports experience sharp fall
2010-06-24
Fruitnet.com reports that damage caused by heavy rains earlier this year badly affected Spain’s fruit and vegetable exports during the first quarter of 2010

Spanish fruit and vegetable exports during the
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Drop in Asda market share
2010-06-24
Asda has seen its market share fall to its lowest level since November 2008 as shoppers take advantage of low food price inflation.
 
The latest Kantar Worldpanel data reveals consumers are
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South African grapefruit set to take United States by storm
2010-06-24
Consumers of grapefruit are in for a real treat when the first South African grapefruit goes on sale in the United States.
 
The first South African grapefruit ever to be exported to
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EU Members vote against new compulsory labelling system
2010-06-23
Members of the European Parliament have overwhelmingly voted against plans to introduce a compulsory system of colour-coded, 'traffic light' labelling on food packs despite pressure from consumer groups.

However, the voting
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RSA retailers catch World Cup fever
2010-06-10
Writing on fruitnet.com, Fred Meintjes adds a fruity flavour to the World Cup build up in South Africa, and gives his lowdown on what visitors to the country can expect to
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Leahy to step down at Tesco next year
2010-06-08
Fruitnet.com reports that Sir Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco, is to step down next March after 14 years in the job.

Mr Leahy said that he was retiring having achieved his
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Pressure on UK retailers to deliver real growth
2010-06-07
Pressure on UK retailers to deliver real growth is mounting as total grocery market growth has remained subdued at 3.3%, according to the latest grocery market figures from Kantar Worldpanel for
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Tesco ads to naked salad
2010-06-07
Tesco’s new salad box project is to have an on-shelf counterpart, fresh & naked living leaves, reports fruitnet.com.

The product launched on 7 June and will sit alongside the fresh &
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South Africa\'s container terminals at a standstill as strike contunues
2010-05-12
While South Africa’s conventional reefer terminals are still operating, the container terminals in all the major export ports have come to a standstill as the national transport worker strike enters its
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Murcia hit by hail while heavy rains cause damage in Catalonia
2010-05-06
Producers in Spain’s Murcia region have reported damage to stonefruit, citrus and grape crops across several provinces, following heavy hailstone showers over recent days.
 
According to regional growers’ association Asaja Murcia,
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FPC fights to secure Indian grape deal
2010-05-06
UK industry body the Fresh Produce Consortium says it is awaiting clarification on the possible future of this year's Indian grape deal in the country after the mid-April discovery of an
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EU-Egypt deal offers trade concessions
2010-05-05
Leading Spanish producer-exporter federation Fepex has claimed that the European Union’s new agreement of association with Egypt, which comes into force next month, will grant the north African country fresh concessions
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Chlormequat risk in grapes evaluated
2010-04-27
Following an urgent request from the European Commission (EC) on 21 April, the European Food Safety Association (EFSA) has today published a statement on the risks to public health related to
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Egyptian grapes headed for early start
2010-04-26
Unseasonable weather may help Egyptian grape exporters this season by bringing the start date forward
 
Fruitnet.com reports that this year’s Egyptian grape season is expected to begin early as a
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Chile back to full strength after quake
2010-04-24
Shipments from the main ports in Chile has returned to normal as the Chilean Association,Asoex, reports that the fresh produce industry is over its most significant disruption ever.
 
A new
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Easter sales figures in the UK mask the truth about the recovery
2010-04-23
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has released new figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) which confirm March’s strong retail sales growth was Easter-driven.
 
BRC director general Stephen Robertson said
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Losses exptected in the Spanish and Italian stone fruit sectors
2010-04-22
Heavy rains earlier this year could result in a reduction in Spain's stonefruit crop, while lower volumes are also expected in Italy.

Spain could lose as much as 20 per cent
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Australia suspends US fruit
2010-03-31
Australia has suspended imports of US cherries and table grapes, as quarantine authorities await the outcome of tests .

Australia last week suspended imports of cherries, table grapes and strawberries from
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Heat cuts South African apple and pear exports
2010-03-31
The unfavourable weather which has been affecting crops around the world are now also negatively affecting the South African apple crop.
 
The South African apple and pear industry has announced a steep
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Chilean fruit industry assesses damage from earthquake
2010-03-02
The Chilean fresh fruit industry is assessing the impact of last weekend’s earthquake on production areas in southern and central regions of the country.
 
Fresh Info reports that, at this
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Chile quake affects logistics network
2010-03-01
The 8.8-magnitude earthquake which struck Chile in the early hours of Saturday (27 February) is reportedly causing logistical problems for the fresh fruit trade given that much of the country’s infrastructure
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South Africa to ship its biggest pear export crop in history
2010-03-01
The latest crop estimates released by the South African grower organisation, Hortgro Services, points to the country harvesting a record pear export crop this season. The projection of 14,574 million cartons
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US widens South African citrus access
2010-02-22
The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) has increased the number of areas in South Africa it recognizes as pest-free areas for citrus black spot disease
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Tesco fresh produce directors move on
2010-02-11
Tesco Director Tim Lee, who was responsible for the development of Tesco’s global direct sourcing project, is reported to be leaving the company. Mr Lee has played a crucial role in
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New European import regulation causes concern in UK trade
2010-02-11
A new regulation affecting produce imports has angered the trade amid allegations of government hypocrisy over cutting red tape.

EC regulation 669/2009, which came in on 25 January, could see produce
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Karsten Group concludes successful Orange River table grape harvest
2010-02-11
The production teams on the Karsten Group’s farms in the Orange River are taking a well-earner rest after 3,3 million cartons of grapes for the export market this season.
 
“Despite the
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Snow failed to deter visitors to the Fruirt Logistica Trade Fair
2010-02-11
Heavy snow and delayed flights failed to stop a record-breaking 53,000 trade visitors from 130 countries descending on the German capital last week for legendary trade exhibition Fruit Logistica.

Visitor figures
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UK produce industry slowly re-emerging
2010-01-10
Reports indicate that the fresh produce market in the United Kingdom is making a steady recovery from the recession. A leading analyst in the United Kingdom has forecast a stronger year for
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Research backs pomegranate powers
2010-01-10
News agencies report that research in the United States has found that eating pomegranates, which contain anti-aromatase phytochemicals, reduces the incidence of hormone-dependent breast cancer.
 
The study’s results have just been published
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Karsten Group still flying into the future, reports Britain\'s Fresh Peroduce Journal
2010-01-10
In minibus, somewhere between Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt, Piet Karsten once described the running of his fruit farming business as similar as piloting a jumbo jet. Once you have loaded
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Extreme weather in Northern Hemisphere set to continue
2010-01-07
Snowy and icy conditions likely to continue affecting distribution of goods during the coming days in the United Kingdom and Europe, while in North America winter temperatures have also dropped to
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UK produce industry slowly re-emerging
2010-01-07
Reports indicate that the fresh produce market in the United Kingdom is making a steady recovery from the recession.
 
A leading analyst in the United Kingdom has forecast a stronger year for
Read more
     
 
 
Grapefruit joins SA produce promotion
2010-01-06
The South African Citrus Growers Association (CGA) has formally announced that it will join this year’s comprehensive promotion for South African fruit in the United Kingdom.
 
The organisation will promote South African
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Subsole receives Tesco supply award
2009-12-18
Chilean group Subsole has been named “Best Supplier in the Southern Hemisphere” by UK retail giant, Tesco PLC, during the retailer’s annual awards dinner in London.

Tesco’s “Produce Grower & Supplier
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Chinese New Year fits South African grapes
2009-12-18
fruitnet.com reports that the date of Chinese New Year 2010 will slot neatly into South Africa’s grape programme.
 
South African table grape exporters say that they will have additional packing weeks this
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Meeting commitments and loyalty to clients guides Karsten Group
2009-12-17
In cricketing terms one would describe the business of the Karsten Group as playing a Twenty20 match every day of the year.  You start every day from scratch and you need
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Unstable weather eats into Chilean volume
2009-12-14
 The adverse spring weather in Chile has cast a shadow over the country’s table grape, stonefruit, blueberry, kiwifruit, apple and pear seasons in 2009/10, with export shortfalls expected across most of
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South African industry group blames imported produce for quality complaints
2009-11-12
New South African fruit industry body, HORTGRO Services, says the poor quality of import fruit, especially stone fruit, has given rise to many consumer complaints in South Africa in recent months.
 
The
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Trade predicts early season table grape shortage in Europe
2009-11-11
Fruitnet.com reports that supplies from the Southern Hemisphere are forecast to be scarce on the European market from November onwards.
 
Severe rainfall in Brazil and cooler-than-normal weather conditions in South Africa are
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New South African grape season gets underway
2009-11-10
The new South African table grape season has started and growers in the Northern regions and the Orange River have started packing their new crop. The first small consignments of Flame
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Chilean breakthrough in China
2009-10-30
A Chilean delegation consisting of fresh produce export leaders and the Minister of Agriculture Marigen Hornkohl has had successful discussions in China and South Korea to increase trade opportunities with those
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Strong demand for Midnight Beauty
2009-10-30
South African producers are reportedly investing in new plantings of Sun World's proprietary variety Sugrathirteen.
 
Sun World International, the US-based fresh fruit producer and marketer, says in a statement that South African
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Challenging season for South African grape exporters, reports Eurofruit
2009-10-30
The first South African and Namibian table grapes of the new season were scheduled to be packed in week 45 and the season in the Orange River region will be in
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KARSTEN GROUP AND WESTFALIA SPICE UP SOUTH AFRICA’S PRESENCE AT FRUIT LOGISTICA
2009-01-15

Two leading growers and exporters in different fields of fresh produce will spice up South Africa’s participation in next month’s Fruit Logistica in Berlin.  The Karsten Group, the country’s

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Karsten Farms handed Tesco award
2008-12-02

The South Africa-based grower has been named as Tesco's Southern Hemisphere grower of the year
South Africa’s leading table grape grower and exporter, the Karsten Group, has been

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