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7th international conference ‘Potatoes & Vegetables of Ukraine-2015′

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To be held February 27 at KyivExpoPlaza in Kiev, Ukraine, the International Conference ‘Potatoes & Vegetables of Ukraine’ is one of the leading fruit and vegetable events in Eastern Europe. It is also the only event gathering  all leading growers of potatoes and traditional vegetables (onions, white cabbage, carrots, table beets) in Ukraine, as well as a large number of foreign experts.

The conference is traditionally held in Kiev on February 27. as will be the case this year, when it will take place in conjunction with Storage Expo: Fruits & Vegetables and Industrial Cold exhibitions, held February 25-27.

Domestic and foreign speakers will give presentations on all key issues of the potato and vegetable businesses.

The conference is co-organized by Ukrainian Association of Potato Producers.
 

Key conference subjects:

– The fundamental Ukrainian potato and vegetable production and price forecast for the 2015/16 season;

– The situation in the market for early produce;

– Foreign trade in potatoes and traditional vegetables: potential, new directions, price prospects;

– Potato and vegetable business under current economic conditions: investment attractiveness and possible niches;

– Modern seed growing trends in the sector;

– Foreign experts’ technological master-classes on produce growing;

– The potato and vegetable processing sector prospects;

– Modern approaches to potato and vegetable handling and storage;

– Efficient produce marketing and promotion in the market;

– Another meeting of Ukrainian Association of Potato Producers.

Organizational moments:

– Special conditions of participation offered for exhibitors of Storage Expo: Fruits & Vegetables and Industrial Cold exhibitions

– Discounts for participation for those registered before February 1

– Applications to be accepted until February 23

– A discount of 30% on the study ‘Fruit & Vegetable market of Ukraine-2015. Results and Forecasts for the Next Season’.
 

Forecasts for next season

The organisers will also offer a variety of advertising and sponsorship options as relevant under current market conditions as possible.

For more information about the event, preliminary program, conditions of participation and application form visit www.fruit-inform.com or contact Mr Ievgen Kuzin tel: +380 (562) 321595, ext. – 341 cell: +380 96 5836323

email: fruit.intl@fruit-inform.com.

 
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‘5 al día’ holding its annual gathering in Madrid in March

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Spain’s ‘5 al día’ (5 a day) – which promotes daily fruit and vegetable consumption – is holding its annual general meeting and a workshop for industry professionals from March 4-5 at Madrid.

The non-profit organisation’s meeting, at Mercamadrid on March 4, will be followed with a members’ dinner at which the ‘5 al día’ awards will be presented. These recognise the work of various organisations that have helped promote fruit and vegetable consumption in Spain.

The workshop, in the same place on March 5, will be opened by Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Affairs, Isabel García Tejerina, and marketing and motivation will be among topics featured in the various presentations.

The workshop is free and those interested can register online at www.5aldia.org, by email to info@5aldia.com or call (+34) 902 365 125.

 
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Increased citrus imports and online sales in China

The majority of China’s imported citrus is sold through major retailers, convenience stores, fruit stalls, high-end hotels, restaurants and e-commerce.

 

Ongoing growth in China’s citrus imports is fuelled by strong thirst for fresh – and thus counter-seasonal – fruit, reports the Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN). And the main suppliers – South Africa, Australia and the US – are also benefiting from the increasing cost of locally-grown fruit, GAIN said in its 2014 citrus annual for China.

Among its forecasts for the 2014/15 marketing year:

Orange imports: to rise 13% on previous year to 100,000 tons (South Africa then the US the main suppliers);

Mandarin imports: to rise more than 30% to 24,000 tons (South Africa & Australia the main suppliers);

Grapefruit imports: to rise 23% to 32,000 tons (imports from South Africa have grown to meet higher demand as more consumers become aware of grapefruit’s nutritional benefits).



Online fresh produce sales up 41% to more than $930 million

GAIN also said the majority of China’s imported citrus is sold through major retailers, convenience stores, fruit stalls, high-end hotels, restaurants and e-commerce.

It noted e-trade platforms developed fast in 2014 and though the market share is still small, using they are increasingly popular in China, where revenue from online fresh product sales rose nearly 41% in 2013 to more than $930 million.

“Selling fresh fruit online has continued to expand rapidly over the past 4 years. For example, Fruit Day was the first company to develop an online website to sell fresh fruit products in 2009 followed by Guo Ku Wang (www.guocool.com) and Tou Tou Gong She (www.tootoo.com). Guocool.com also provides fresh-cut products online,” GAIN said.



Shanghai the preferred entry port

Guangzhou is China’s biggest fruit import distribution hub but importers increasingly prefer the next biggest, Shanghai, because of domestic transportation costs and other cost concerns.



 

Read the report

Image by NuclearVacuum via Wikimedia Commons

 

 

 

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Europe’s largest rooftop farm planned for the Netherlands

Europe’s biggest commercial urban farm will soon be located in this building in The Hague, in South Holland. Vegetables will be grown in a 1,200 sqm greenhouse to be placed on the roof of what is known as the De Schelde building, a former Philips factory now partially empty. Its conversion into a multi-storey urban farming centre – to be called Urban Farming De Schilde – will involve a €2.6 million investment, according to the Municipality of The Hague, which aims to become a climate-neutral city by 2040

 

Europe’s biggest commercial urban farm will soon be located in this building in The Hague, in South Holland.

Vegetables will be grown in a 1,200 sqm greenhouse to be placed on the roof of what is known as the De Schelde building, a former Philips factory now partially empty.

Its conversion into a multi-storey urban farming centre – to be called Urban Farming De Schilde – will involve a €2.6 million investment, according to the Municipality of The Hague, which aims to become a climate-neutral city by 2040 and says it is offering an attractive rental price to the urban farming tenants.

 

Indoor fish farm, boutique brewery

Two of the building’s storeys, each measuring 1,500 sqm, have been earmarked for urban farming. An indoor fish farm and boutique brewery are also included in the redevelopment plans.

City farming pioneer UrbanFarmers (UF) AG, a Swiss company, has been awarded the rooftop space of 1,500 sqm and 700 sqm on the 6th floor.

According to UF, the building has great access and visibility from both the city center as well as the neighboring Westland, “the Dutch horticultural cluster and ‘Silicon Valley’ for plant growing and green innovation.”

“The concept is further supported by a  digital billboard wrapped around the rooftop farm communicating live status updates around UF and also other information pertinent to what’s going on inside the greenhouse,” it said.

 

Koppert Biological Systems also involved

UF said it is focused on building cost effective, sustainable and reliable urban agriculture systems. De Schilde is its fourth after similar projects in Basel, Zurich and Berlin.

Koppert Biological Systems is to share its expertise with UF for the new project. “The cooperation with Urban Farmers will not only focus on natural enemies, beneficial microorganisms and biostimulants, as we, in our role as a horticultural supplier, will also work on the production of insects as fish feed,” said Maren Schoormans, Koppert’s sales manager for the Netherlands.

“We will be able to show society and consumers the opportunities our integrated system offers to everyone who wishes to improve the health, resilience and productivity of crops,” he said.

 

 

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Patent applications reveal ways to improve tomato production

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Various inventions promising improved tomato production are covered in patent applications recently published by the US Patent and Trademark Office. In this small sample we look at a vine tomato that stays firm longer, tomatoes with higher sugar content, and greenhouse lighting helping insects find – and thus pollinate – flowers more easily.

Vine tomato with longer shelf life

California’s Arcadia Biosciences seeks a patent for “tomatoes that soften more slowly post-harvest due to non-transgenic alterations in an expansin gene.” In its patent application it explains new tomato varieties are needed that have the desirable qualities of vine-ripened fruit (in taste, texture and colour) but reduced spoilage. However it also notes some consumers don’t like genetically modified foods.

It says it has a solution with its (non–GMO) method, which is the product of a human-induced mutation in a tomato gene – LeExp1 – linked to fruit softening.

Tomatoes with higher sugar content

Tomatoes with improved fruit quality, such as increased levels of starch, soluble solids, and/or sugars are described in an application from the governing board (Regents) of the University of California. It says the ripe fruit has sugar levels (fructose and glucose) at least 10% higher, usually at least 30% higher, than control plants.

The method for which the patent is being sought involves producing plants that deliver green fruit with increased chloroplast development. This is achieved via a rise in what is known as GLK (Golden2-like) activity in the green fruit and results in an increase in the products of photosynthesis and carbon fixation, such as starch and eventually soluble sugars, in ripe fruit.

Putting flowers in their best light

And from Finland comes an application for an invention using special lighting in greenhouses to enhance insect pollination of plants, such as the tomato.

Valoya, a Helsinki-based provider of energy efficient LED lights, says the best effect is achieved when the emission peaks of the lighting have a high reflectivity from flowers and/or high sensitivity in the insect vision. “The insects can see the flowers better, and therefore find them more easily, which increases the efficiency of pollination by the insects.”

It says the method reduces insect mortality and increases pollination efficiency and photosynthetic growth, thereby improving the productivity of the plant cultivation.

 

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Japan’s mandarin consumption drops while lemon rises

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The Japanese are eating less mandarins and more lemons, a USDA report on citrus in Japan reveals.

Since 2003, Japan’s annual household consumption of all fresh fruit has dropped 15% – from 97–82kg – but the rate of decline for mandarins has been greater – 30%, to  12.3kg, the report “Japan: Citrus Annual” says.

Prepared by the Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN), it says the drop in mandarin consumption may be the result of increased availability of other fruit varieties.

Other possible reasons cited are that Japanese consumer preferences have been shifting towards fruit that is not tart or tangy, and younger Japanese tend to eat less fruit which requires peeling.

However, mandarins remain one of the most popular fresh fruits in Japan, accounting for about 15% of fresh fruit consumption there in 2013.

“The Japanese industry has been trying to encourage consumers, particularly younger consumers, to purchase more mandarins by introducing ready-to-eat mandarin products such as cut fruit and jelly-fruit cups.”

“Japanese production, consumption and imports of mandarins are forecast to decline further in MY 2014/15, as farmers continue to exit and consumers substitute other fruits and sweets for mandarins,” it says.

Japanese imports of fresh mandarins source USDA.png

Increased lemon demand, production

Meanwhile, total numbers remain small but increased Japanese lemon production reveals underlying consumer preferences and shifts within Japanese citrus production, the USDA says.

“Growers seeking a higher return on their investment are substituting mandarin trees with different citrus tree varieties such as lemon.”

Unlike other fruit harvesting farms in Japan, the area harvested for Japanese lemons has been growing steadily over the last decade as Japanese growers respond to this increased consumer preference for local lemons.

It’s anticipated the 2014/15 campaign will see Japan’s lemon harvest area expand to 500 hectares with production volume slightly increasing to 10,000 MT – up 5% on current production estimates of 9,500 MT.

in Japan, fresh lemons are mainly used by the food service sector, as a garnish or food and beverage ingredient.

“Domestic lemon producers have aggressively promoted the freshness of their produce, as well as introducing some recipes online, and these efforts have slowly increased consumer demand.

Additionally, domestic lemon producers have been targeting safety-cautious consumers by advertising their produce as free of postharvest agrochemicals.”

“In MY2013/14, imports from New Zealand increased to 819 MT. New Zealand lemons fill into the market when Chilean and U.S. lemons are out of season. They are marketed as free of postharvest agrochemicals and sold at a premium price.”

Overall, the impact of citrus greening disease in Florida, tight global fresh orange supplies, a weaker yen and increased competition from substitutable products for Japanese consumer dollars should drive grapefruit, orange, and orange juice imports lower in the 2014/15 marketing year, the USDA predicts.

Japan lemon imports.png

 

Read the report.

Image: “Citrus unshiu-unshu mikan” by Tomomarusan. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

 

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Pesticide residues, salmonella behind recent food safety alerts in Europe

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Salmonella found in rocket, radish sprouts, paan leaves

Two reports of the presence of salmonella in rucola (rocket) from Italy are among 60 fruit and vegetable notifications posted on the  RASFF – Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed – in the month to December 23.

According to the site, Norway was the source of information that a sample of Italian rucola taken on on December 8 tested positive for Salmonella Napoli. It said the product was withdrawn from the market.

And Norway reported a sample of Italian rucola taken on December 1 tested positive for Salmonella Kottbus and was returned to the consignor.

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Rucola (image by Leo Michels via Wikimedia Commons)

 

In a case reported by the UK, Salmonella spp. was found in December 1 samples from paan leaves from India and the import rejected at the border.

Another pathogen, bacillus cereus, was detected in radish sprouts from the Netherlands, according to a notification from Germany.

 

Border rejections

There were 38 reports in the month to date in the RASFF category of ‘border rejection’, with the majority involving dried fruit, mostly dried figs and apricots from Turkey.

Among fresh foods rejected at border were:

  • Strawberries from Egypt, pesticide residue (methomyl 0.18 mg/kg, reported by Italy)

  • Strawberries from Egypt, pesticide residue (thiophanate-methyl 0.54 mg/kg, reported by Italy)

  • Artichokes from Tunisia, pesticide residue (dimethoate 0.79 mg/kg, reported by Italy)

  • Broccoli from China, pesticide residue (carbendazim 2.1 mg/kg and promecarb 48 mg/kg, reported by the Netherlands)

 

More than a third of notifications due to pesticide residues

Altogether, pesticide residues accounted for 24 of the 60 RASFF notifications, including:

  • Apples from Poland: dimethoate 0.084 mg/kg, information from Poland

  • Grapes from Spain: ethephon 1.4 mg/kg, information from the UK

  • Grapes from Peru: ethephon 2.4 mg/kg, information from the Netherlands

  • Grapes from Brazil: ethephon 0.9 mg/kg, information from the Netherlands

  • Grapes from Greece: captan (6.525 mg/kg, information from Bulgaria

  • Broccoli from Spain: fluazifop-P-butyl 0.49 mg/kg, information from the Netherlands

  • Cherry tomatoes from Italy: fenamiphos 0.13 mg/kg, information from Switzerland

  • Tomatoes from Poland; flonicamid 0.73 mg/kg, information from Czech Republic

  • Lemons from Albania: fenitrothion 0.053 mg/kg, information from Bulgaria

  • Lettuce from Poland: iprodione 33.6 mg/kg, information from Czech Republic

  • Dragon fruit from Vietnam: iprodione 0.093 mg/kg, information from Belgium

  • Dragon fruit from Thailand: carbendazim 1.5 mg/kg, information from Italy

 

Among other notifications was one from Slovakia that spinach from Italy was found to have too high a content of nitrate (4439.2 mg/kg – ppm).

 

RASFF portal

 

 

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What’s booming for Norway’s BAMA Group

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Health awareness – and huge distances – shaping changes in the country’s fresh produce supply

 

Blueberries, avocados and sweet potatoes are among the fastest-growing products in grocery stores under the umbrella of Norway’s giant BAMA Group, which has seen its turnover rise 9% on 2013 to an expected €1.65 billion this year.

“But the competition is tough,” BAMA Group CEO Rune Flaen says of Norway’s highly concentrated retail sector, which recently shrank from being dominated by four major retail groups to just three.

With news in October that Norway’s large Coop chain will take over the Norwegian operations of Sweden’s ICA chain, that leaves just three main retail groups in Norway: NorgesGruppen (40%), Coop (32%) and Rema 1000 with partners (28%).

NorgesGruppen and Rema 1000 are shareholders of, and supplied by, BAMA.

 

Tough climate makes marketing crucial

High taxes and costs, protectionist food policy, and dominance by just a few wholesalers and retailers are among factors shaping retail in Norway and another key one, as Flaen said at the Fresh & Life berry symposium in Madrid in October, is distance.

Norwegians have the highest concentration of shops per inhabitant in Europe, mainly due to the challenging logistics in a country which measures 2000 km from from north to south.

“A large part of the European industry is struggling,” so marketing is even more crucial, he said. BAMA thus makes sales planning and marketing a priority and among its various initiatives is a large sport sponsorship program, where the aim is to encourage physical activity and a healthy diet through different activities for children especially, and Norwegians in general.

 

Berries, then tomatoes and bananas lead fresh produce value

Flaen – who has spent more than 30 years at BAMA and the last 20 at its helm –

said bananas used to be its most valuable fresh produce category but now it’s berries, tomatoes, then bananas. The berry category accounts for about 3% of Norwegian grocery sales in the summer peak season, far ahead of Coca Cola – something Flaen noted as “really important.”

In berries, strawberries still lead but raspberries have also become an important year-round item and blueberries have had “explosive growth”.

“There’s enormous potential in the berry sector in years to come,” he said.

 

In an interview with ED at Fruit Attraction, Flaen shared more market insights:

There’s been huge growth in BAMA’s berry sales. Where else is demand rising?
We’ve had big growth in avocados (+137 % last five years – volume) and in all root vegetables. For example the sweet potato market has exploded, sales last year tripled in volume after a marketing campaign teaching families how to prepare them. Mashed sweet potato has become a favourite for kids.

What’s driving interest in root vegetables?
More and more people going back to basics and cooking at home. We’re seeing that trend really strongly – sales are up 110 %.  

What other trends are you observing?
Local produce is very popular, people are really interested in the region and history behind their food – that’s a clear trend for the future. Private labels will also grow.
What opportunities are on the horizon for fresh produce suppliers?

The health trend is very strong. We have to find the right products for consumers and inform them about what’s in them nutrition-wise and what they do to their bodies – that’s the big trend.
Are health benefits behind the explosion of blueberry consumption in Norway?
Mainly but also because we now have good quality and availability year-round – that’s the key to growth.

What is one of your priorities in fresh produce now?
We are always working on improvements in the value chain. Shelf life is very important to us and our customers are investing very heavily in coolers. In a country like Norway with long distances, quality and freshness are the highest priority.

What changes have you made in logistics?
One example is that we now have three drivers each on two trucks for our “Berry Express” from Morocco so they can arrive as fast and fresh as possible. From loading in Morocco to arrival in Oslo – before distribution in Norway – takes 3-4 days.

What is the “BAMA Commitment”?
For 15 years BAMA has adopted a dynamic and value chain–based model reflecting its desired holistic approach. Through detailed planning and predictability we aim for long-term, sustainable production and profitability in all stages.

 

Retail in Norway

logistics challenge: 5.1m people, 385,000 sq km

highly concentrated: soon just 3 main retail groups

about 3900 grocery shops, average turnover €5m

60% of grocers are discounters (highest in Europe)

0.8 grocery shops per 1,000 people (highest in Europe)

Norwegians shop 4 times pw

Norwegian F&V consumption (day/person)

2013: 443g

2006: 410g
 

BAMA Group (BAMA-Gruppen AS)

Est. turnover 2014: €1.65b up 9% on 2013)

7 business areas including food service & fast-growing flower business

2 retail customer groups in grocery business: NorgesGruppen & Rema 1000.

NorgesGruppen: 40% of grocery market, Norway’s biggest retailer

NorgesGruppen controls chains such as Meny, Kiwi, Centra, Joker & Spar.

Rema 1000: 28%, no-frills supermarket chain

BAMA also has representatives in Poland, Sweden & Holland

BAMA’s fresh produce

500,000 tons pa, of which:

72% imported (170 suppliers)

28% local production

serves 15,000 customers

BAMA’s fresh produce strategy includes:

Goal of min. 4% more growth pa in F&V than average for all categories

Focus on consumer — flavour & nutrition

Close relationship & long term cooperation with suppliers & customers

Importance of berries

300% volume growth in Norway since 2003

1% of Norway’s grocery sales

10.6 % of value of total F&V shopping basket at BAMA

30% of Norwegians buy fresh berries in a grocery store weekly

BAMA 2013 berry sales (in kg)

total 17 million

strawberries 10 million

blueberries 3.25 million (x12 in value since 2008)

raspberries 1.5 million

Cool chain investment

More coolers at checkouts

+3,000 new berry coolers in last 2yrs

+2,000 more in next 2 years

 

JB

 

SPAR berrie mix in cooler.JPG

 

Read this and other feature articles in Eurofresh Distribution edition 134

 
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Commission admits too many fruit and vegetable producers not getting EU aid

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The European Union fruit and vegetable regime needs to be reviewed to ensure support for producer organisations, the European Commission has said in a report to the European Parliament and Council.

This is needed in order to achieve in all Member States the objectives of the EU farm policies set under the 2007 and 2020 reforms.

Since the 1996 reform, producer organisations (POs) have been the cornerstone of the EU regime for the fruit and vegetables (F&V) sector.

“The EU average of degree of European production within Producers’ Organisations has slightly improved +1,2% and reached 48,4%, but it is still far below the objectives established in 2007 of more than 70%.

Only a limited number of F&V producers are members of a PO. “Thus, most producers are excluded from the direct benefits of the EU regime for the F&V sector,” the Commission said in its report.”

“Moreover, despite progress made at the national level, in some Member States there are still significant regional imbalances in the degree of organisation of F&V producers. An example of that is Italy, where the relatively high national organisation rate (about 47%) is the result of the high organisation rate of some northern regions and the low organisation of several other regions.”

Later in the report, the commission said the “persistently low degree or lack of organisation in some MSs” is a crucial issue needing careful analysis with a view to identifying, where appropriate, additional measures to encourage not only a further rise in the degree of organisation of producers in the whole EU but also a decrease of the imbalance of F&V producers’ organisation within the EU.

“A low degree or lack of organisation also means that most F&V producers do not belong to a PO, so they do not directly benefit from specific EU aid for the sector,” it said.

“Those producers, frequently the smallest, cannot even benefit from the services that POs could provide, have very weak bargaining power within the supply chain and are more exposed to the risks linked to market globalisation and climate change.”

Increasing the rate of organisation of the F&V sector remains crucial especially in Member States where the organisation is still very low. In this respect, there is also the need to explore measures to stimulate forms of cooperation to help PO’s and non-organised producers to better deal with those challenges.

To address such shortcomings, the current EU F&V regime needs to be reviewed and the Commission could build upon the results of the report and upcoming debate to later present legislative proposals “to revise the Union aid scheme for the fruit and vegetables sector.”

Read the report here.

Follow progress here.

 

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Turkish farm exports still surging

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Turkey’s exports of fruit increased by a third and vegetables by 9% in the four years to 2013, according to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

The country is now a major exporter of agricultural products, both to the Middle East and other markets, it said in its report “Turkish Agricultural Exports Continue to Surge“.

Turkey’s farm exports have tripled in the last decade and were valued at more than $16 billion in 2013. It now comes after only India, China and Ukraine in terms of the highest export growth rates among the world’s top 20 agricultural exporters.

Middle East a major motor for Turkey’s export growth

Although the EU-28 remains Turkey’s largest export market, nearly all of Turkey’s growth in trade has been to developing countries, especially those in the Middle East, FAS said.

Iraq: In 2013, nearly a quarter of Turkey’s agricultural exports went to Iraq. Exports there more than doubled in just three years – from $1.5 billion in 2010 to $3.5 billion in 2013 – led by vegetable oil, flour, poultry and chicken eggs.

Syria: The turmoil in Syria has also increased its import demand. Turkish agricultural exports to Syria quadrupled in 2013, and rose another 50% in the first half of 2014.

Russia: Turkish exports to Russia, in particular, have been strengthening and could increase even more this year in light of Russia’s year-long ban on a wide range of agricultural products from the EU, United States, Canada, Australia, and Norway.

Africa: Turkish exports to Sub-Saharan Africa have also skyrocketed.

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Read the report here.