News

Freshcare appoints new CEO

General Oct. 15, 2019



Australia’s industry-owned assurance standard for horticulture, Freshcare, has appointed Benjamin Wash as its new chief executive.

Read full story

Researchers making fruit flies twice as 'sexy'

Disease & weed control Fruit Fly Oct. 14, 2019



Australian researchers have developed a new type of fly food that can help double the number of "sexy" sterile Queensland fruit flies being reared in laboratories.

Read full story

Sting in the tale of bees in ‘crisis’

General Oct. 12, 2019



For the urban hipsters who dressed up as bees in this week’s Extinction Rebellion rallies, it is indeed serious: environmental challenges to honey bees might mean a future shortage of almond milk lattes.

Read full story

Mango season in full swing

General Oct. 11, 2019



The 2019 Australian mango season is well and truly underway. A total 406,000 trays, each with seven kilograms of fruit, were dispatched to market last week.

Read full story

Citrus Australia launches protective screenhouse to prevent HLB

Citrus Disease & weed control Oct. 10, 2019



Auscitrus has strengthened its capacity to protect the nation’s budwood supplies from disease, focusing specifically on any future incursion of HLB, with the completion of its new protective screenhouse.

Read full story


Strong crop size to boost volumes for Australian stone fruit exporter

Stone Fruit Marketing & export Oct. 10, 2019



The introduction of new varieties into production is expected to increase crop size and lead to bigger export volumes in the 2019-20 season for a leading Australian stone fruit exporter.

Read full story

Trellising in avocado orchards is “pushing the boundaries of production"

Avocado Oct. 9, 2019



A major South African avocado producer believes that trellising is the way of the future, especially as new generation cultivars become available for growers.

Read full story

Seven things you should know when exporting to China

Marketing & export Oct. 7, 2019



Export to China of fresh fruit and nuts is a key export opportunity for Australian producers.

Read full story

Wanted: Hairy, motivated flies to pollinate crops

Flowering, thinning & PGRs Oct. 6, 2019



Scientists are on the lookout for energetic flies with plenty of body hair to pollinate crops and help expand Australia’s fruit and nut production.

Read full story

Canadian firm lobs $854m takeover offer for agri group Webster

Almonds Nuts Oct. 5, 2019



Webster Limited is set to be purchased by Canadian interests, with a proposed $854 million takeover by PSP Investments.

Read full story


Mango season heating up in the Northern Territory as industry continues to expand

Mangoes Oct. 4, 2019



The mango season in the Northern Territory is heating up, with farms around Darwin's rural area reaching their peak harvest period.

Read full story

World cherry production will decrease to 3.6 million tons

Cherries Oct. 3, 2019



According to information from the USDA for the 2019-2020 season, world cherry production is expected to decrease slightly and amount to 3.6 million tons. This decline is due to the damages that the weather caused on cherry crops in the European Union. Even though Chile is expected to achieve a record export, world trade in cherries is expected to drop to 454,000 tons, based on lower shipments from Uzbekistan and the US.

Read full story

Australian orange growers enjoy record farm gate prices

Citrus Oct. 3, 2019



Some eight years ago, Australian citrus growers were abandoning fruit worth millions of dollars due to a strong Australian dollar crippling export markets. At the same time they were only getting paid 10 cents to 12c a kilogram for fruit to be sold at the supermarket when it cost them 30c/kg to produce at the farm-gate.

Read full story

Dual action fungicide offers wider control

Stone Fruit Disease & weed control Sept. 30, 2019



According to veteran fruit grower Joe Giblett from ‘Red Moon’ orchard, Donnybrook, WA, disease and insects pose serious problems to successful orchard production and require vigilant monitoring on a daily basis.

Read full story

Citrus Concentrate Market Expansion to be Persistent During 2018 – 2026

Citrus Post harvest Sept. 30, 2019



Market Outlook for Citrus Concentrate market: The citrus concentrate is made from the citrus fruits from the trees belonging to the Rutaceae family, which are produced all over the world. These fruits are generally prone to get spoiled very easily and have a very thin lifespan for consumption postharvest. Hence, production of citrus concentrate out of citrus fruit can ensure availability of fruit juices or other products throughout the year. Increasing the shelf-life of the citrus concentrate is always the goal of the manufacturers of the citrus concentrate.

Read full story