Wanted: Hairy, motivated flies to pollinate crops

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.

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

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

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

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

Australian orange growers enjoy record farm gate prices

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.

World cherry production will decrease to 3.6 million tons

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.

Quince Market to Record Sturdy Growth by 2018 – 2028

Quince Market Introduction Quince is an unusual fruit which is closely related to apples and pears, with the scientific name Cydonia oblonga. The quince fruit is a native product of the Eurasian area, which includes Uzbekistan, Armenia, Turkey, Hungary, Macedonia, and other nearby regions. On a global scale, the production of quince is around 106,000 acres, with Turkey being one of the top producer growing roughly 26,500 acres of quince. The acreage of quince grown in the U.S. is relatively small, making the fruit a specialty crop. California is the only place in the U.S. which grows quince commercially with around 205 tons of production annually. Quince is primarily known for the presence of high concentration of pectin in it, which further helps to set jellies, pastes, and preserves. In the past few decades, the consumption of quince declined due to the invention of powdered gelatin, but however, it made a comeback with the high-end restaurants which have featured quince as a specialty fruit.

Citrus Concentrate Market Expansion to be Persistent During 2018 – 2026

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.

Dual action fungicide offers wider control

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.

Australian growers welcome increased backpacker numbers

Australia’s National Farmers’ Federation has welcomed results showing a 20% increase in the number of backpackers applying for a second year working holiday maker visa. 43,219 second year visas were granted under the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program last financial year – 7,000 more than the previous year.

Construction of new packing and export facility commences

Montague have commenced construction of a new packaging facility at Narre Warren North.

Manjimup packing facility expands capacity

Increased avocado production leads to expansion of packing facility.

Almondco Australia cracks $28.5 million expansion

Major South Australian nut producer Almondco will expand its Renmark processing facility creating 50 new jobs, thanks to a $28.55 million Marshall Liberal Government loan.

New state-of-the-art, produce facility in Rocklea, Queensland

Montague open world-class produce and packing facility opens at the Brisbane Markets.

N&A Group and Plunkett Orchards join forces

The N&A Group & Plunkett Orchards are joining forces in a new partnership that will expand their existing alliance to become one of Australia’s largest growers, packers and marketers of all tree fruits.

Almonds trialled in outback NT

Almond crops are being trialled in the Northern Territory for the first time, with hopes that Central Australia can become a commercial producer.