Feb 03, 2018  -  The $2 million Seminis Onion Breeding Station has been officially opened in Pukekohe, New Zealand, this week.The world-class facility housing state-of-the-art sheds, crop covers and irrigation systems, represents the Seminis global mid-day onion breeding program, supporting key markets including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Brazil.

Jill Netzel writing for FreshPlaza  - Zespri opened its North American offices in 2017 and launched SunGold Kiwifruit. They said the launch was met with remarkable success due to customized programs, regional market development managers, and strong consumer and retail marketing campaigns. Within the kiwifruit category, Golden kiwifruit drove the category dollar gain with sales increasing 125 percent for the 52-weeks ending 12/03/17. Zespri’s SunGold Kiwifruit led the growth and represents 80 percent of the Golden kiwifruit category with 27.8m lbs. sold to establish a new sales record.

A rather enlightening article posted on engineering.com by Roopinder Tara that has attracted a lot of interest. While the U.S. dawdles with much needed domestic infrastructure upgrades, China is already engaged in a project so massive that it will tilt the Earth in its favor. The trillion-dollar Belt Road Initiative (BRI) is a plan for a web of transportation routes (road, rail, shipping lanes, more—all leading to China) that will be created or expanded over the next 30-plus years. The BRI’s main purpose is to facilitate trade. China, the world’s leading producer of exports, no longer wants to rely on slow moving boats to move its goods out.

Jan 30, 2018  -New Zealand must continue to seek to increase our access to protected pastoral markets, but international trade deals come at a cost, writes economist Brian Easton

Nafta friction is behind renewed Canada participation

Canada’s stated determination to renew its participation in the Trans Pacific Partnership threatens to introduce a pack of wolverines into its own never-tranquil milking parlour.

Canada’s dairy industry is the world’s most fiercely protected

Deputy New Zealand prime minister Winston Peters has already hinted that Canada’s renewed enthusiasm for the Trans Pacific scheme has much to do with the North America Free Trade Agreement.

Jan 24, 2018  -  The Indian market for avocados currently consists of some Indian produce and a major share of New Zealand Hass avocados. Thanks to promotions and in-store sampling, Indian consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits of Hass avocados. Therefore, demand for New Zealand avocados is increasing.

The Indian importer IG International specialises in the marketing of New Zealand Hass avocados. The company is also going to introduce new varieties with different packaging formats from Peru. Peruvian avocados are necessary to continue the momentum of the New Zealand season, which will soon be coming to an end.

Like the avocados from New Zealand, the Peruvian avocados belong to the Hass variety. The Peruvian Hass avocados differ from those from New Zealand with regards to different ripening stages and a cheaper price. The Peruvian season allows IG International to ensure a year round supply of avocados. As soon as the Peruvian season ends, the New Zealand season will commence.

"The main customers of IG International are supermarkets, restaurants and hotels. The category for avocados is increasing year by year. IG currently holds a market share of 42% in the market for avocados," says Shubha Wadhawan, CCO,IG International Pvt. Ltd.

"Most avocados are consumed in the western regions of India, followed by the North and South, though avocado consumption is on the rise in the South as well. Due to the price of avocados, most consumers belong to the upper middle class," she added.

"Not withstanding the strong demand for the Avanza New Zealand Avocado throughout Asia, we remain committed to our distribution partnership within India and the growth of the category. These are exciting times for the avocado within India. It is our desire is to build a strong brand positioned on quality and the versatility of this product to an increasingly health conscious consumer,” says Tony Ponder of Avanza, the New Zealand company that supplies the avocados to IG International.

Godrej Nature’s Basket has been India’s pioneering food destination from more than over 100 years. "We believe in creating lasting experiences and go an extra mile to serve our customers better. To make their journey an enjoyable one, we make sure to give them the best quality avocados, sourced from IG International. Avocado is the best selling category at our stores. We look forward to the Peruvian season to ensure the round year supply," says Avinash Tripathi, Buying and Merchandising Head, Godrej Nature’s Basket.

Visit IG International at Fruit Logistica: Hall 7.2a A-05

| A FreshPlaza release   ||  January 23, 2018   |||

Jan 17, 2018  -  Fonterra has launched a new fresh milk product in China in partnership with Hema Fresh, Alibaba’s innovative new retail concept which combines traditional bricks-and-mortar shopping with a digital experience.  The new Daily Fresh milk range is now available in Hema’s 14 stores in Shanghai and Suzhou in 750mL bottles, sourced directly from Fonterra’s farm hub in Hebei province. The product boasts unique product labels to match each day of the week in order to emphasise freshness, with stock being replenished overnight ready for each new day.

Jan 17, 2018  -  International shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk is partnering with IBM to build a blockchain-based platform that seeks to make global trade more efficient.

Jan 15, 2018  -  The Consumer Technology Association has identified the 13 most innovation countries.  The Association is an American standards and trade organisation that represents the $351 billion U.S. consumer technology industry.

Jan 12, 2018 - Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, completed a year of strong growth in 2017. The air cargo carrier’s robust performance, set against the backdrop of a resurgent global air cargo market, was underlined by the introduction of specialised customer focused air transportation solutions across a number of industry verticals and by continued investment in infrastructure.