HENRY INTERNATIONAL

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December , 2018
Chilean cherry arrivals to US on the way after slow start

Chilean cherry arrivals to US on the way after slow start

29 Dec ,  2018 Dennis Rettke @FreshPlaza
Arrivals of Chilean cherries into the US are imminent, with some fruit already reported to have arrived. While shipments of cherries from Chile to China have already started, arrivals to the US are slow in coming. Additionally, the crop will be a little smaller than the record crop last year of 39 million boxes, and looks to have been lessened further due to some cooler weather and rain in recent weeks, according to Broc Bengard of Bengard Marketing."A few exporters have sent some shipments to the US but the majority of arrivals are not due until next week although wet weather expected this past weekend through early next week may delay things a bit further," Bengard noted. "Expectations were for the crop to come in around 34 - 36 million boxes this season. However, with a wet spring and recent colder weather during the bloom, it might have reduced the crop to 31 - 33 million, which equates to being around 15 - 20 percent off of last year."Furthermore, the first arrivals of cherries appear to be of a less favored variety. "The majority of the early arrivals are of the Burlat variety, despite them showing up as 'Bing' on the system," Bengard explained. "This is a softer, early variety and due to its softer nature and lower sugar, retailers have little interest in it. From the following week however, we should start to see Royal Dawn, followed by some Santina variety starting to arrive."The cooler weather will have other effects on the season than just reduced volume. The weather has caused the harvest to be pushed back a little, but mainly for the early varieties at this stage. If this is the case, it means the harvest and arrivals could be compressed."Fruit has been slow to arrive," Bengard said. "There is good demand for first orders as everybody is waiting for shipments to arrive and subsequently fill shelves. As the harvest has been pushed back, we are expecting the harvest to be more concentrated. This will allow for good promotional opportunities with concentrated volumes on arrival."Bengard added that fruit quality should also be good this year. "With the reduced volume compared to last year, this should result in a more manageable crop for slower packing," he said. "Additionally, there is less stress on the trees with less fruit, which usually translates into a stronger fruit quality and condition for the final consumer."
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January , 2018
Florida citrus 'low but stable'

Florida citrus 'low but stable'

17 Jan ,  2018 Carl Collen / www.fruitnet.com
USDA forecast says crop remains stable, but it is still set to be the lowest for 75 years.For the first time this season Florida citrus production is expected to remain stable, according to the latest USDA forecast, yet the devastating impact of Hurricane Irma still remains."Florida continues to face its lowest citrus forecast in more than 75 years," said Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus. "While the temporary comfort of a stable forecast gives us a moment to breathe it doesn’t hide the fact that this industry remains in crisis due to the impact of Hurricane Irma."The USDA report predicts Florida orange production for 2017/18 at 46m boxes of oranges, a 33 per cent decrease over last season.Florida grapefruit is expected to produce 4.65m boxes, a decrease of 40 per cent. Florida was expected to produce about 75m boxes of oranges this season, according to private estimates.Emergency fundingThe Florida citrus industry continues to seek consideration for federal emergency funding to support growers impacted by the hurricane.In December, the US House of Representatives passed an US$81bn disaster spending bill, which included US$2.6bn for agricultural assistance.Florida growers reported 30 to 70 per cent crop loss after Hurricane Irma’s landfall on 10 September 2017, with the southwest region of the state receiving the most damage.The hurricane uprooted trees and left many groves sitting in standing water for up to three weeks, potentially damaging the root systems and impacting future seasons’ growth.In October, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced that Florida Citrus sustained more than US$760m in damages due to Hurricane Irma.
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January , 2018
January , 2018
Chilean cherries smash export record

Chilean cherries smash export record

04 Jan ,  2018 Maura Maxwell @maurafruitnet / http://www.fruitnet.com
With several weeks of the season still to go the industry has already exceeded the previous highest shipment totalA surge in new plantings and favourable weather conditions helped Chile’s cherry industry reach a new milestone as total exports broke through the 30m-carton barrier for the first time ever.Cristián Tagle, president of the Chilean Cherry Committee, said the volume loaded to date already exceeds total shipments during the record 2014/15 campaign, in which almost 21.8m cartons, or 103,081 tonnes were exported.“Until last week we had exported more than 27m cartons, but with the ship that was loaded last weekend this figure reached 30m cartons, which is equivalent to 150,000 tonnes of cherries,” Tagle said.“We estimate that we will continue to supply the Chinese market until beyond the Chinese New Year on 16 February 16.”The sharp rise in output is the result of new acreage, a switch to more productive varieties with a longer post-harvest life and the implementation of new technologies to improve orchard management and protection, together with what Tagle described as “the best weather conditions we’ve ever had, especially at the beginning of the campaign”.The industry has pumped US$5m into its most ambitious marketing campaign to date in China in anticipation of the increase in volume.Asoex president Ronald Bown said the aim of the campaign is to “increase consumption, especially before and after the Chinese New Year festival, and position the Cherries from Chile brand in the minds of consumers”.The campaign includes tasting activities in more than 306 points of sales, as well as promotions in E-commerce sites, campaigns on China's main social network sites (WeChat and Weibo), as well as advertising in Metro stations, residential elevators, cell phone applications and wholesale markets, among others.Of the volume of Chilean cherries exported to date, 89.1 per cent has gone to Asia, where China accounts for 94 per cent of shipments.The US has received 4.8 per cent of the total exported, Latin America 3.2 per cent, Europe 2.4 per cent, Canada 0.4 per cent and the Middle East 0.1 per cent, Asoex said.
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November , 2017
Chile ramps up blues promotions

Chile ramps up blues promotions

28 Nov ,  2017 Maura Maxweell @maurafruitnet
Chile has embarked on a season-long calendar of health-focused promotions in the UK designed to accommodate blueberry record exports.The Chilean Blueberry Committee (CBC) expects to export 100,000 tonnes of fresh blueberries to its global markets this season. The marketing campaign kicked off with the CBC’s first-ever sampling at the Taste of London Food festival which took place on 16-19 November. “Participating at Taste of London served as a timely reminder for consumers that Chile is the world’s largest blueberry exporter, our new season is approaching and we are preparing to export to the UK,” said Charif Christian Carvajal, Asoex’s marketing director for Europe, Asia and the Middle East.The pilot promotion highlighted the counter-seasonal availability of Chilean blueberries to local production in the UK.It forms part of a number of promotional activities planned by the CBC for the UK this season to position blueberries as the go-to winter berry and ideal healthy snack.As well as reaching out to health-conscious consumers, the campaign will target primarily the older generation who are keen to keep their minds healthy and active, while also being more accustomed to eating socially.The campaign will consist of a two-pronged approach; using traditional PR tactics, alongside social media outreach and direct engagement to help drive word of mouth around the perfect winter berry.Key activities will include: developing blueberry festive recipes and healthy eating sharing dishes featuring blueberries; providing sampling opportunities for older consumers in conjunction with a charity for the elderly; and distributing information on the role of blueberries in healthy living, backed by a nutritionist. The UK is an important market for Chilean blueberries. In 2016/17 Chile exported almost 11,000 tonnes of blueberries to the UK, according to Asoex data – an 11 per cent increase on the previous season. CBC president Andrés Armstrong said a similar growth pattern is anticipated for 2017/18. 
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November , 2017
Chilean cherry deal delayed by up to  10 days, says industry rep

Chilean cherry deal delayed by up to 10 days, says industry rep

08 Nov ,  2017 www.freshfruitportal.com
A relatively cold and wet spring in Chile has led harvests running at least a week behind a typical year, according to an industry representative.“Spring has been cold compared to last year and we are around seven to 10 days delayed in relation to a normal year,” Chilean Cherry Committee president Christian Tagle told Fresh Fruit Portal.However, the representative said the cool weather meant better fruit quality was expected than last year, when unusually high temperatures were seen in the spring period.He expected characteristics including Brix levels, taste and color to all see improvements compared to the 2016-17 season.Nearly 90% of exports are sent to Asia, with China the leading market by far.Last year the industry had originally forecast exports of 120,000MT, but weather factors in October and November affected production. The final export figure, however, was still a 13% increase over the 2015-16 season.In late August a seminar for cherry growers held in Curicó, Tagle had projected exports of around 160,000 metric tons (MT), which would represent a 67% boost over last season’s 94,869MT and be equivalent to 32 million boxes.“So far the weather has not caused any damages, but if the spring continues with intermittent rains the industry will have to be very rigorous with the use of fungicides…to avoid fruit rot in the orchards and reduce the percentage of small fruit,” he was quoted as saying.The publication also reported that Agroex general manager Victor Villagra was expecting total national production this season of around 30 million boxes.However, she explained that as the industry had already been expecting a huge year-on-year increase, a drop in production would unlikely be much of an issue for growers.Local media La Discusion quoted agronomist and cherry specialist Elena Yáñez as saying rainfall over the spring period may well lead to lower volumes than originally anticipated.Tagle was not prepared to give a specific volume estimate for this campaign but predicted exports would rise year-on-year.
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October , 2017
Promising outlook for Australian cherry exports.

Promising outlook for Australian cherry exports.

18 Oct ,  2017 Anouk Sijmonsma - www.freshplaza.com
Hopes are high for the upcoming Australian cherry season. Certainly after an overall dissapointing crop in 2016."Despite persistent rain a few weeks ago in certain areas of Victoria, the entire production is expected to rise steeply," says Sherry Xu of Royal Fresh International.Some cherry orchard owners from Victoria estimated the production may be increased by 30% during the upcoming harvest; and there are even more promising figure of 50% at some other farms in New South Wales. Combined, the two states are the main cherry production areas of mainland Australia. Although at the moment it is too early to comment on sizes and volumes, most growers have high expectations about this season's harvest and export business.Speaking of harvest time, early cherry varieties from Victoria are expected to enter the market towards the end of October. For export, cherries shipments may have to wait until early November. New South Wales generally starts 1 to 2 weeks later. In order to catch the Winter sales peak days at local markets, farmers will normally try to harvest and sell most of their cherries before Christmas. After Christmas, a third cherry region, Tasmania, will also enter the market. "Another encouraging and motivating piece of news for our cherry orchards is that Vietnam has reopened to Australian cherries from 2017. We look forward to exporting Australian cherries there in a month's time," concludes Sherry.
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September , 2017
Canadian cherry season cut short by hot summer.

Canadian cherry season cut short by hot summer.

22 Sep ,  2017 Dennis Rettke - www.freshplaza.com
The Canadian cherry season became another victim of the hot summer that has plagued growers in western North America. Yield was up over last year, however, as the main effects were the shortening of the season as well as smaller fruit sizes."Overall, our yield was definitely up over 2016 due to new farms coming into production, however we had a somewhat challenging year with the heat," said Julie McLachlan, of Jealous Fruits in British Columbia. "We certainly fared better than the cherry growing regions to the south, such as Washington and Oregon. However, it resulted in a compressed season where we saw an increase of fruit ripening over a shorter period than projected. Our season started in early July and concluded on August 26, where we had earlier estimated to finish between September 5 - 8.""The fruit was below optimal sizing which was disappointing, but the quality was still excellent," McLachlan continued. "Summing up the season, it was challenging and compressed, but ultimately we were pleased with our end product, despite the smaller sizes."Export market strongDemand for Canadian cherries remained strong and exporters experienced a growth in demand from around the world. Buyers in Southeast Asia were not as receptive to the smaller size profiles, but McLachlan was pleased with the way exports have performed this year. She also noted that China and the US continue to be strong markets for the product.  "The export market was really strong, and we enjoyed good arrivals of our shipments," she said. "There was an increase of fruit shipped over to the Middle East, particularly Dubai. The Southeast Asia market was off a fraction, because they typically prefer larger fruit sizes. However, markets such as China and the United States continue to be strong supporters of our fruit. Our last shipment for the season arrived in China in mid September so the fruit should continue to retail there for another two weeks."
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September , 2017
U.S.: California orange harvest set for later start

U.S.: California orange harvest set for later start

20 Sep ,  2017 www.freshfruitportal.com
The California Citrus Mutual (CCM) has said the state’s upcoming orange harvest is likely to begin later than last season, with robust pricing anticipated as the result of one of the lightest crops in years. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) last week estimated 70 million cartons of Navels would be produced, which would mark the lowest levels since 2008-09.CCM president Joel Nelsen said the industry believed the projection was largely on target, mainly attributing the reduction to declining acreage and rains in March which affected the bloom.“If you take a look at the figures, the number of acres in actual production is down significantly. We continue to see growers vacate the industry, and acreage being bulldozed or modernized,” he said.Nelsen said two key factors behind the declining acreage were the drought and a stifling regulatory environment.“Over the last three or four years there’s been a drop of 25,000 acres. Multiply that by 600 cartons per acre and that’s a 15 million carton hit,” he said.“We used to think 85 million was a normal crop…well this year we’re down to 70 million.”He explained regulations concerning such aspects as water usage, crop protection tools, buffer zones, and air quality were making it “extremely difficult” for individuals to be successful.Changes to these regulations and varietal reconversion in citrus groves would be needed in order to turn around the declining acreage and get back up to previous production levels, Nelsen said.“In what direction do we recover? That’s open to speculation, but I think that acreage is going to come back into production, it’s just going to be consolidated in terms of ownership,” he said.Heavy rainfall over the winter means there is plenty of water to irrigate for this year at least, he said. The representative also predicted the orange harvest would begin around a week to 10 days later than last year, depending on weather factors over the coming weeks.“That’s all up to Mother Nature right now,” he said.“We’re still having warm weather, and the fruit hasn’t sized as it has in the past. A little bit of rain in October will help.”Cold temperatures at night were also needed, but Nelsen said he didn’t see that happening over the next couple of weeks.“Right now I think maybe around the middle of October we’ll start harvesting some fruit and by Thanksgiving there will be volume in the stores, but it’s going to be tight for Halloween which is Oct 31,” he said.He also anticipated ‘robust’ pricing in the market as a result of the lower production.“No matter what you produce, the cost of farming is stagnant. You’re going to end up spending somewhere around US$3,500 to US$4,000 an acre to farm Navel oranges, whether you get 400, 500 or 700 cartons,” he said.“So growers are going to need a positive return on a per-acre basis. Now there are fewer cartons, one would expect a strong start to the Navel season, but unfortunately for the consumer the costs are going to go up a bit.” 
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September , 2017
U.S.: ‘Steady’ season for California grapes, says Terra Exports

U.S.: ‘Steady’ season for California grapes, says Terra Exports

01 Sep ,  2017 www.freshfruitportal.com
A combination of ‘outstanding’ quality, nationwide promotions and good export demand are keeping California table grape supplies in check, according to a new representative of Terra Exports’ grape division.The Nevada-headquartered company recently hired industry veteran Joe Cardenas to help boost its table grape business and to take the lead on its West Coast sales.He told Fresh Fruit Portal the total California table grape crop was estimated to end up at around 111 million 19-pound boxes compared to 108 million boxes last year.“The season’s been very steady. The quality and the conditions are outstanding right now,” Cardenas said.“The promotions nationwide coupled with the export demands have really kept supplies in check.”He said the San Joaquin Valley had been in the midst of a heatwave last week with temperatures frequently exceeding 100ºF, limiting the amount of time workers could be out in the fields for safety reasons.In some cases, the heat had caused some challenges related to achieving good color, he added.Terra Exports sources grapes from various producing countries including the U.S., Peru, Chile, and Mexico. The majority of grapes the company sources in the U.S. are exported with the rest going to its domestic program.Cardenas also said average prices per box had been around the US$20-24 dollar range, which is in line with previous years.“From talking to the growers, everything seems to be on schedule. They plan to finish by around November, which is around when Peru will start, and then our Chilean program will probably begin around January,” he said.Peru and Chile set for greater overlapCardenas said the current impression from Peru was that volumes will be a little bit shorter this year.While Terra Exports has usually shipped Peruvian grapes to the East Coast due to the higher prices, this season it is going to start to bring some small volumes to the West Coast. For Chile, the situation is the other way round.“The East Coast seems to pay better for Peruvian grapes than the West Coast, so we tend to always supply to East Coast as they’re willing to pay for the box. On the West Coast, the majority of people just want a good deal on a decent grape,” Cardenas said.“We are basically knocking on doors at the moment, and everybody’s starting to move into the Peruvian grapes, so we’re going to start bringing in small volumes to the West Coast.“Then with the Chilean program, which is normally on the West Coast, this year we’re going to take some to the East Coast.”He said this was mainly to be able to provide more options to customers.The representative also believed the Chilean and Peruvian grape deals would increasingly overlap in the future, and he said Chile may need to step up its game in order to remain competitive.“There’s going to come a time and place where you receive Chilean and Peruvian grapes at the same time, and it’s just going to be up to our customer base, what they want to buy,” he said.Namibian grapes on the horizonCardenas also mentioned Terra Exports was also looking at sourcing Namibian grapes for the first time this year. He said they would likely be shipped via South African exporters.“That I know of I don’t see anybody that’s brought any to the U.S. But since they’re allowed in we’re working on that right now to hopefully bring some in this year,” he said.“We’re really hoping it happens, to give people something different. We have specialty stores that always like something new.”
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August , 2017
Chile eyes cherry production in northern regions.

Chile eyes cherry production in northern regions.

23 Aug ,  2017 www.freshfruitportal.com
The world’s leading cherry exporter is hoping to take advantage of strong export prices at the start of its season by expanding production further north in the country. The majority of Chile’s cherry volumes currently originate from the central-southern regions of O’Higgins and Maule, but researchers are now looking to breed new varieties of the lucrative fruit that would perform well in the Coquimbo region.They will soon be opening up a new research center and hope to have at least two varietal selections in the pre-commercial stage in a few years’ time.The evaluation comes at a time when neighboring Peru is also looking into starting up cherry production to supply fruit at a time when there are typically lower volumes available for international markets.A representative of Chile’s Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) told Fresh Fruit Portal private companies had long expressed an interest in expanding the industry away from the traditional growing areas.Dr. José Manuel Donoso explained a test hectare with hybrid varieties near La Serena, the capital of the Coquimbo region, had been established in 2012. Since then the team have been able to make the first evaluations over the last two seasons.“Last year we propagated them on rootstocks and this year they will be part of the new evaluation center that will be in Ovalle [also in the Coquimbo region],” he said.“The good thing is that of the 5,000 plants that we brought to the north, we have identified about five plants with superior characteristics.The new center will include a six-hectare test site and will aid in the program’s varietal selection process, Donoso said. The researchers are also now preparing to bring more genetic material from the central-southern regions that has a low chilling requirement and is harvested in early.In addition, INIA is working with an institute in Spain’s Catalonia region that is going to send genetic material to Chile.“There are some difficulties related to the development of this project, like the lack of useful genetics and the difficulties of growing a crop that traditionally adapts well to different climate conditions,” Donoso said.The aim is to have at least two selections in the pre-commercial stage – meaning a minimum of 100 plants in commercial orchards – not just in the north of Chile but also in other warm areas of the world by 2024.Donoso said the north of Chile would represent a “very desirable” niche for cherry production, as the fruit would be harvested earlier than the majority of volumes and likely fetch higher prices.He added the Chilean supply was highly concentrated in December, meaning not only was a lot of labor required in a short space of time but packhouses and export markets were often saturated.Diversifying the supply would therefore help to reduce concentration and provide work to people for longer.“We are aiming for the supply of cherries to begin regularly from Oct. 15,” Donoso saiThe program has several other key objectives, including a large fruit size, which INIA says improves consumer perceptions of quality, and highly productive varieties so that companies can achieve a fast return on investment.Resistance to both diseases and fruit damage by way of splitting are other important aspects.
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August , 2017
California exports more than one third of its table grapes

California exports more than one third of its table grapes

23 Aug ,  2017 Marieke Hemmes
The harvest of California table grapes started in May and the season will run through January. According to Jeff Cardinale, vice president of communications for the California Table Grape Commission, “the crop projection is 111.4 million 19-pound box equivalents of grapes will be harvested.” The 2016 volume was 108.9 million 19-pound box equivalents.California grapes are being harvested in the San Joaquin valley. Summer time plays an important role for the crop. In 2016, 39 percent of the crop shipped in the period May through August, with over 60 percent of the crop shipped after September 1, meaning fall is when the majority of the crop is available. This makes California grapes a popular fruit in the spring, summer and fall months. The harvest season will continue in the San Joaquin valley into December.More than 85 grape varieties are grown in California. The top five varieties in 2016 were: Scarlet Royal, Autumn King, Flame Seedless, Crimson Seedless and Sugraone. In 2016, 93% of grapes were seedless, 6% seeded and less than 1% unknown. The export market is important for California table grapes. According to the USDA, 36 percent of the 2016 crop was exported. The main markets outside the US are Canada, Mexico, China, the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan. Promotions play an important role in introducing California grapes to consumers. They range from in-store sampling, giveaways, display contests and cooking demonstrations to promotions around the holidays like Diwali, the Moon Festival and Christmas.Copyright: www.freshplaza.com
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August , 2017
Strong finish for Northwest cherry season

Strong finish for Northwest cherry season

15 Aug ,  2017 By Maura Maxwell @maurafruitnet
Strong finish for Northwest cherry season With volumes expected to remain high throughout August, promotional activity will not ease up As the Northwest cherry harvest begins to wind down, shippers say promotable volumes will be available throughout August, though volume will dip as the month progresses.In July, the Northwest cherry industry shipped 15.2m cartons – 529,000 cartons more than the latest estimate.Some 2.4m cartons have been shipped so far in August and packers say they expect to ship up to 2m cartons more before the season is over. They say quality coming in from the orchards is high, and sugars are peaking for the year. “It is important to note that there is ample opportunity for promotions during the month of August. The cherry category remains a key driver for summer produce department profits – and this year August presents a unique opportunity for the trade,” Northwest Cherry Growers said in a statement.  “Sales records show that one out of seven cherry buyers don’t make their first purchase until late in the season. Their trigger? A countdown notice – letting them know that the time to squeeze the last bit of summer out of Northwest cherries is upon them.”The association said it had anticipated a long and late-running crop and planned its retail and media programmes accordingly.By Maura Maxwell @maurafruitnetMonday 14th August 2017, 15:36 Hong Kong
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