The Port of Durban harbour master has approved a grand entrance for the world's largest reefer ship, which is to load 10,000 pallets of citrus for N Cont and St Petersburg.
The Maersk subsidiary has added the Port of Wilmington to its Central America service to exploit the surge of refrigerated imports that hit a monthly record in March.
The southern hemisphere's leading citrus exporter says it will ship almost 150K MT of lemons, oranges and soft citrus from Argentina, South Africa and Uruguay this year.
It has emerged that the kiwifruit marketer received a warning last year from the Japan Fair Trade Commission following a Chilean exporter association (ASOEX) complaint.
Despite the return of demand, the lack of containers has limited exports and resulted in shortages of frozen, dehydrated, and fresh potatoes in many markets.
UK retail chains Tesco, Sainsbury's and Lidl suspended supplies from the Kenyan producer in the wake of accusations of serious human rights abuses.
Despite a trebling in the allowance of seasonal workers, Scottish fruit producers fear berries could be left to rot due to a shortage of pickers from Eastern Europe.
As produce ripens for harvest, the ban on imports imposed by Saudi Arabia, which absorbs 25% of Lebanese fresh exports has left shippers scrambling to find alternative markets.
The German carrier has posted a net profit of US$1.45bn for the first three months of the year, compared with just US$27m for the same period last year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has purchased 485K cartons of Californian table grapes at a value of US$12.7m.
New Zealand's early kiwifruit production region will complete the harvest without the labour supply issues producers face in the Bay of Plenty.
The vertically integrated US producer, packer and distributor of fresh fruit has moved its operations from Gloucester after reaching an agreement with port operator GT USA.
The boost in revenues comes following the Thai government launch of an online pre-order system and cooperation with Chinese e-commerce platforms to sell top-grade durian.
With the first grapes already shipped, the Slovenian 'gateway port' for Egyptian grapes into Europe is anticipating a 10-15% year-on-year uplift in volume in 2021.
While a Mutual Country Agreement with Indonesia has been re-instated, a delay in the approval of the 'China list' will temporarily restrict South African citrus exports.
Chile shipped 573 tonnes of clementines to week 17 this year, which compares to 1.5K MT at the same stage last season.
Despite shipping a total volume that was 16% lower year-on-year across the Pacific, table grape volumes to certain markets experienced a steep increase.
Production in 2020/21 increased 10% year-on-year, while export volumes increased 35% despite poor demand from Asian markets.
Argentinean pipfruit and citrus destined for Asia and the United States will soon be able to leave through the ports of the Chilean region.
According to table grape industry association Provid, Peru shipped 50 varieties of grapes to 133 countries in the 2020/21 season.
After a five-week period with no rainfall on the island, potato shipments to British retailers have been running at 60% of their typical volumes for this time of year.
Kenyan has shipped less than a tonne of bananas and broccoli to South Korea, five years after the nations struck a bilateral trade deal.
The MV Crown Ruby is the first vessel on the new fortnightly service between the Chilean ports of Valparaiso and Coquimbo and the US port of Los Angeles.
The vertically integrated South African fruit marketer reported recurring headline earnings of ZAR75m and declared a ZAR50m dividend.
The Dutch reefer terminal operator has acquired Columbus Spedition GmbH, a leading forwarding company specialized in temperature-controlled food logistics located in Bremerhaven.
Carrier Ocean Network Express has ordered 27,500 new reefer containers in response to growing global demand.
Despite consumer demand for Australian grapes there are industry rumours that Chinese supermarket chains are being pressured to stop stocking Australian products.
All conditions of the transaction were satisfied including the shareholder support of both companies, support of OPAC growers and banking support from Westpac.
At the current pace, South African apple exports to China will easily exceed the previous record established in 2019, when the total export volume reached 770,549 cartons.
After shipping 10% more fruit in the first quarter of 2021, volumes from Africa's second largest banana exporter fell 35% month-on-month in April.
Licences to grow gold and red kiwifruit in New Zealand have reached record highs this year, signalling strong confidence in the industry.
After favourable growing conditions, the volume of avocadoes produced in Sunraysia and the Riverland is expected to more than double the light crop of last year.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for Pakistani oranges is on the rise worldwide.
Drewry says its Reefer Container Freight Rate Index jumped 26% in the first quarter, on a seasonal uptick in cargo demand and rising bunker surcharges.
The trade partnership means that British apple and pear growers will be able export to India for the first time.
The kiwifruit marketer says that Susan Noritake brings extensive experience and market knowledge at a pivotal period in its accelerated growth in the North American market.
Tunisia aims to export about 80K MT of stonefruit in 2021, said acting Director General of the Interprofessional Group of Fruits, Helmi Kalai.
The Costa Rican anti-narcotics police division found the drug wrapped in packages inside more than a thousand boxes of bananas, each package weighing close to 1kg.
Despite a Covid-19-related reduction in net sales revenue, gross profit and net income for the quarter increased 53% and 228%, respectively, year-on-year.
Shipments of Sunkist oranges and Driscoll's strawberries imported from the United States were found to contain excessive levels of herbicide or insecticide residues.
The carrier said it had an exceptionally strong start to the year, with strong earnings and growth momentum across all its businesses in ocean, port services and logistics.
Due to the ongoing shortage of reefer containers, the kiwifruit marketer has upped its allocation of specialised reefer vessels to 70% of total shipments from the usual 50%.
The protests that have paralysed the Argentinean lemon harvest show no sign of easing, with some distance still on a wage settlement between the two sides.
After setting a record in 2020, in the first three months of this year, the value of Thai durian exports to China increased 14%.
Reefer rail freight on the New Silk Road into China was suspended at the start of the year due to concerns about the transmission of the coronavirus via containers.
Atlantic Container Line is to acquire 150 new containers equipped with Carrier Transicold PrimeLINE refrigeration units featuring the Lynx Fleet digital solution.
Statistics reveal that the Filipino banana is losing market share in all of its principal export markets as other Asian and dollar bloc banana shippers make gains.
Hundreds of containers stuffed with Australian table grapes are now backing up at ports in China.
The U.S. potato industry estimates that access to the entire country for fresh U.S. potatoes will provide a market potential of US$200m per year within five years.
Police have intercepted 2.14 tonnes of cocaine in a reefer container destined for Russia in the pre-shipment area of the port of Guayaquil.
The first reefer containers designed by battle tank manufacturer Uralvagonzavod have been handed over to two major Russian logistics companies to test.
New safety audits by Chinese authorities stretch from the New Zealand seafood industry to the apple industry.
The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture says that imports of Lebanese fruit and vegetables account for 1% of the total market share in the Kingdom.
Protesters have rejected a negotiated 41% wage increase and raised roadblocks and blocked entry to farms and packhouses in Tucuman.
South Africa is well on its way to achieving its 10m carton target with table grape shipments to mainland China up 58% year-on-year to week 14.
The world's largest mango exporter shipped 13% more fruit in 2020 than in 2019 at a value that was 10% higher.
In contrast to the problems besetting the fruit industry, in the first quarter of 2021 the value of Chilean vegetable exports increased 28% year-on-year.
Following a successful launch in Singapore and Japan, the retailer is pioneering the distribution of the new variety in the Chinese market.
Less than a month after confirmation of the arrival of Panama Disease variant TR4 in Peru, Colombian authorities report that it may also now be present in Venezuela.
After the success of the 2020, F.lli Orsero branded bananas, fresh-cut fruit and juices are to be distributed through Italian motorway outlets.
Cambodian mangoes shipped from a small group of approved packaging facilities have been cleared for export to China.
The world's largest fresh produce concern joins Zespri, T&G, Hortifrut, Driscoll's and Rockit in establishing a strategic cooperation to develop the brand in China.
Greenyard Fresh UK and logistics and fresh produce packing specialists, Produce Logistics, have signed an agreement which launches a closer collaboration.
Russian agriculture watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor banned the import of Azerbaijani tomatoes and apples last December, citing phytosanitary risks.
Installation of the scanner at Karachi airport will help to ensure the smooth export operation of perishable cargo, leading to enhancement of fruit exports, especially mangoes.
The value of Vietnamese fruit exports to the US rose more than 20% in the first quarter of this year.
The EU suspended citrus imports from Argentina in August last year after Citrus Black Spot was found in a number of consignments.
Brazil benefitted from a favourable exchange rate and the bad weather which interrupted the supply of Chilean table grapes to the United States.
The container shipping industry is seeing the biggest spike in equipment lost overboard in seven years, according to the World Shipping Council.
The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled in the favour of the Moroccan Royal Family in a battle over the unlicensed exploitation of the Nadorcott mandarin.
New Zealand's export industries are jittery as new safety audits by Chinese authorities stretch from the seafood industry to the apple industry.
The logistics company says the new weekly, 20-day reefer service from Qingdao to Moscow is due to start on 17 May.
The General Administration of Customs has set reference values for 10 varieties of apples and pears, in order to identify 'abusive manoeuvres' in foreign trade.
Surging demand, supply chain bottlenecks and equipment shortages have contributed to Q1 sales revenue of US$12.4bn and a net profit of US$3.1bn.
Higher pricing in international markets is the reason for significant percentage increases in the value of table grape, avocado, blueberry and onion exports.
Blaming an increase in drug smuggling, Saudi Arabia announced the ban on fruit imports last Friday, a measure that will add to Lebanon's severe economic problems.
The world's top fruit-breeding and licensing company has unveiled plans and the name of its new US$12m state-of-the-art research facility and breeding campus.
The discovery of the Asian citrus psyllid on a tree in the Californian coastal city has caused a long-imposed quarantine to be extended.
As shipments move from port to port in attempts to clear customs, Australian farmers are incurring additional costs.
Saudi Arabia has announced an import ban on fruits and vegetables from Lebanon because the Kingdom said shipments are being used to smuggle drugs.
