India: Arid conditions push prices higher

Some vegetable prices have been rising sharply this week. Traders have blamed this on arid conditions in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu from where bulk of the produce is imported.

Beans shot up to Rs 48 per kg in the retail markets on Wednesday. Vegetable trader N.H. Shameed said that production of beans had been hit hard by a long dry spell in the neighbouring states, with Tamil Nadu also experiencing protracted spells of power supply disruptions.

This time last year beans were retailing at Rs16 per kg and only a month ago they were lower at Rs 36 per kg.

Mr Shameed said that there was shortage in supply of vegetables generally. Ordinarily, he said, there were 25 deliveries per day, but this had recently shrank to just 20 loads per day.

The dry weather has caused production to drop by between 30 and 40% in some of the traditional vegetable producing areas of Tamil Nadu.

On top of the falling productivity, there was also a large demand from exporters pushing up prices.

However, the situation is expected to change soon as the vegetable season is going to be gathering pace.

Source: www.thehindu.com

Chile: Table grape market report in Europe

Low prices for table grapes in the European market were registered. This is the result, in some cases, of the poor quality and condition of the fruit, and over supply.

White Seedless Grape Market:

Decofrut pointed out that the situation for the Sugraone variety is difficult, since it has shown greater quality and
condition problems than the Thompson Seedless. However, this last variety does not report dynamic sales, but achieved
better sales rate. Given this situation Chilean Sugraone prices, during week 11, tended to be at a low, concentrating their FOT prices around  €10.88 / 8.2 kilos (size L), which is 22% lower in relation to the average price in the same week of last season.

Meanwhile, the average value of the Thompson Seedless variety is € 12.88 for 8.2 kilos.

 

On the other hand, Decofrut notes that while the South African grape season is coming to an end, there is still presence of this fruit, in a significant volume in the market.

 

England: In this part of Europe, the demand for table grapes remains moderate, while the price range is very wide due to heterogeneity in the quality and condition of the fruit.

Red Seedless Grape Market:

As for red varieties, Decofrut notes that both the Continent and in England, the market remains very complicated due to high presence of Flame Seedless volumes and the various problems of quality and condition observed this season in the South African and Chilean supply.

Regarding prices, Chile reached for the Flame Seedless variety prices around €6.5 for 4.5 kilos format (size L) and €7.5 for the punnet (5 kilos) format. This last value is 43% lower compared to last season.

On the other hand, in England, despite low prices at which Flame Seedless is being offered, dynamism does not increase considerably. Meanwhile, the Crimson Seedless variety FOT prices reached £6-£7 / 4.5 kilo box.

 

Finally, as for the market trend for red seedless table grapes, Decofrut notes that although no major changes are foreseen for Flame Seedless, in the near future it is expected for Crimson Seedless to achieve better results.



Market for Red Globe and other varieties:

Like the previous weeks, Decofrut states that Red Globe sales were quiet, with prices according to quality and condition, having mainly, Peruvian and South African offer.

For the XL size, the price for the Peruvian Red Globe spun between € 1.59 and € 1.67/kilo, while South Africa´s Red Globe was around €6.5 to €7 the 4.5 kilo box.

 

Finally, with regards to this variety´s tendency, it is expected that in the coming weeks Chile will begin to take more strength and market share.

Source: Decofrut-SimFRUT

Spain: Mercabarna barricaded in protests

A syndicalist sets up a barricade of burning tires at the main entrance of Mercabarna, the biggest wholesale market in Barcelona, on March 29, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. Spanish workers staged a general strike to protest the governments new labour reform. (Zimbio.com)

Spanish unions are holding a general strike to protest against labour reforms which the new government hopes will help cut unemployment.

Road, rail and air transport were all affected.

Unions claimed strong support at industrial sites but Mariano Rajoy's conservative government played down the action.

It plans to unveil measures on Friday to save tens of billions of Euro.

The strike is the government's first big challenge since taking office.

Scientists could turn oranges red

UK researchers identify gene that makes blood oranges red, believe they could create varieties to be grown around the worl.

Scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, England, say they have identified the 'ruby' gene that turns Sicilian blood oranges red.

The gene is believed to be the source of health benefits that make blood oranges a potent weapon in the fight against obesity and heart disease.

The fruit is currently more expensive for consumers than its 'blond' relatives because it requires a cold period during ripening and as a result is largely grown commercially only on the Italian island of Sicily.

Professor Cathie Martin, the leader of the research team, said: "Our improved understanding of this trait could offer relatively straightforward solutions to growing blood oranges reliably in warmer climates through genetic engineering."

Prof. Martin told a press conference it should take seven years to genetically engineer blood orange varieties that could thrive in other orange-growing areas such as Brazil and Florida.

The study is published in the latest issue of The Plant Cell journal.

Abnormal formation on a Valencia

Jim Ellis, Fresh From Florida, found something strange on an orange and asked Dr. Fred Gmitter, at the University of Florida Citrus Experiment Station in Lake Alfred Florida, what it was. He had never seen this before. "The abnormal formation is possibly a genetic mutation", he said about the green Valencia.

Searching for disease resistant banana variety

In the 80s a disease named black Sigatoka became a great threat to the banana plantations. This fungus is very difficult to control because it affects a number of varieties and it becomes very quickly resistant against pesticides. Together with the Panama disease it forms a great threat for the banana cultivation worldwide. Especially for the smaller traders there had to be something done to make sure that the food security was not compromised. The people saw the need to keep all varieties safe and search for disease resistant bananas. The worlds biggest and most extensive banana collection is in Leuven (Belgium).    

The collection in the Laboratorium Tropische Plantenteelt (Laboratory for Tropical plants) is managed by Bioversity International, and consists of about 1400 varieties from around the world. The active collection is preserved in vitro, in test tubes, in a room with light at a temperature of 15 C. From of every variety about 20 plants are kept. However, contaminations and mutations may occur. To avoid this the laboratory in Leuven has come up with a method that the plants are kept in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196 °C, which stops the development. "This the  safest and most sustainable method and the only one of its kind", advises Ines Van der Houwe of sector biological plant technique.                 

The laboratory is working to get an as complete collection as possible. "With the present collection we represent a significant part of the biodiversity of the banana, but the real purpose is to develop more," says Ines. She is hoping that in the future she will bring more wild varieties back. "Besides disease resistance we are also looking for bananas that are resistant against drought, because with the climate changing we will need them in the future." This gene bank is part of an organisation with a worldwide network of banana scientists, that has supported the creation of this unique extensive collection.      

Each year, samples from the collection of 800 different species are spread worldwide to different research institutes, amongst others to create resistant banana varieties. The material also gets sent to developing countrys for the smaller growers. "The living conditions of the locals have been improved by giving them suitable varieties to offer them food security and a source of income, that is a important focus point of the organization."         

In the laboratory, located at the University of Leuven, people are working hard on using genetic modification to create a banana variety which is no longer affected by harmful fungus. Ines indicates that the classic breeding with bananas is very difficult because an edible banana doesn't have any seeds. Through some interventions people are succeeding in producing seeds with the positive features of the cross breeds.      

The bananas that are consumed in Europe are mainly the variety Cavendish. Because there is a monoculture the banana disease could become a serious problem for the banana. Now breeding products have been developed that are immune to the sickness, but these plants are, according to Ines, much more use to the local growers. "We're working hard to discover new genes that are resistant, to make sure that even here we still keep eating bananas.           

 

Direct sales for Greek potatoes

As producers and consumers suffer the effects of Greece's economic collapse, a new scheme has been devised that is beneficial for both Greek potato growers are finding new ways to reach cash-strapped consumers as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in European history, the Guardian has reported.

Christos Kamenides, professor of agricultural marketing at the University of Thessaloniki, is facilitating direct sales, which he says allow consumers to get "good quality food for a third of the price they would normally pay".

Moreover, he says, "the producers get their money straight away".

Basically, a town hall announces a sale, locals say what they want, the town hall informs Kamenides of the volume needed and his students call farmers to find a supplier, whereupon a collection time and place are arranged.

Kamenides told the Guardian: "Today, we have one truck here, and two in another municipality up the road. Tomorrow we have a sale with four trucks – that's 100 tonnes of potatoes, straight from the producer to the consumer, with nobody in the middle pushing up prices."

The movement appears to be extremely popular. One shopper Elisabet Tsitsopoulou commented: "Salaries here are so low now, and still falling, but the price of everything seems to stay just as high as it ever was. This is much cheaper, much less than half price."

And producers are equally enthusiastic. Apostolos Kasapis said: "I get paid straight away. The profit is not very high, just a bit above the production cost, but I get the money immediately, which in this crisis is very important."

The movement has been enthusiastically taken up by local mayors, and Kamenides is reportedly working on a wider scheme for unified cooperatives involving both producers and consumers.

Southern African citrus exports to grow

Citrus export crop from southern African nations forecast to burst through 100m cartons this year, up by 4 per cent on 2011.

The South African Citrus Marketing Forum has released its first export crop forecast of the 2012 season, announcing that volume are expected to be 4 per cent higher than last year and similar to the crop of 2010.

The forecast includes export volumes from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland, although the contribution of these countries to the total volume will be relatively small.

Soft citrus export volumes will be 10 per cent higher than last season and are expected to reach 7.6m cartons. Grapefruit shipments are forecast to decrease by 6 per cent to 13.4m cartons, while exports of lemons should increase by around 3 per cent.

Both navels and valencias, which together account for two-thirds of the total South African citrus export crop, will be up on last year. navels will increase by 8 per cent and valencias by 4 per cent to 22m cartons and 46m cartons respectively.

The season has already kicked of with the soft citrus category, satsuma, which is showing a 14 per cent increase on last year's disappointing crop, mainly due to better climatic conditions and the availability of more water in the main production region of the Eastern Cape.

Lemon exports are also well underway and exports will be higher this year mainly due to central northern regions having recovered from last year's hail damage.

Andalusia wilts under ongoing drought

Persistently dry conditions affecting southern Spain, which is still reeling from frost damage in Februar.

More than 137,000ha of fruit and vegetable production in the Spanish region of Andalusia have reportedly been damaged as a result of frosts in February and ongoing drought affecting much of southern Spain.

According to the regional government of Andalusia, the country's largest production region for fruits and vegetables, low temperatures and frosts that struck between 11-14 February had "negative consequences" for many Spanish growers.

Among the crops damaged were 1,066ha of open air vegetables – including 874ha of lettuce – 10,478ha of citrus production and 2,800ha of other fruits.

Currently, the Andalusian authorities said production was also being threatened by ongoing drought in the region, which is adversely affecting everything from fruits and vegetables to cereal crops and cattle farming. 

Maersk suspends Europe-Asia bookings

Shipping line suspends bookings after Chinese New Year leads to trade imbalance between Europe and Asia.

Danish shipping giant Maersk Line is no longer taking bookings for cargo travelling from northern Europe to Asia owing to insufficient vessel capacity.

According to a statement from the company the move comes in light of a large number of consecutive cancellations of vessels travelling from Asia to Europe during Chinese New Year.

"The booking stop is temporary and we are working to clear it as soon as possible so that we can resume booking acceptance as usual. Based on the current situation, an early estimate is for the backlog to be cleared by early May," the statement declared.

"We are implementing this complete booking stop to ensure we prioritise and deliver on the bookings we have already accepted. By implementing this booking stop, we take action to resolve the situation as soon as possible," continued the statement.