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Zespri’s European kiwifruit harvest is again expected to deliver strong returns for growers in Italy and France, along with another great tasting crop for consumers around the world to enjoy.

Sheila McCann-Morrison, Zespri’s Chief International Production Officer, says that with the Northern Hemisphere harvest well underway, Zespri is expecting to harvest around 19 million trays or almost 70 tonnes of kiwifruit from orchards throughout Italy, France and Greece.

The EU pear crop for 2019/20 is expected to be down 13% to 2.46 million tons, according to FAS EU data. Production is estimated to be down in all production areas except for the Iberian Peninsula and the Czec

Alanar is one of the most quality focussed growers, packager & exporters of premium cherries from Turkey. It exported last season about 4,700 tons of cherries and 2,000 tons of figs as well, making Tekfen Agri subsidiary the number one exporter of fresh figs from Turkey. “Our project is to achieve the export of 7,500 tons of fresh cherries in 2021, with our new state of the art packing facility which will be one of the largest one in Europe” said Yigit Gokygit, commercial director. Alanar grows and exports today  cherries, figs, apricots, plums, pomegranates and chestnuts.

Australia expects a record table grape crop in 2019/20, with output up 14% to 240,000 tons, according to FAS data. The main factor is the growth in production area due to the profitability of the fruit and strong demand in recent years. Vine plantings are increasing by about 20% each year, which will lead to further growth as young plants reach maturity. Growing conditions were not ideal, with droughts across many production areas. Nevertheless, high returns offset the water costs. 

Dutch fruit and vegetable specialist Nature’s Pride has undertaken a successful water-saving project in Peru and Chile. The initiative is part of a piloting of GlobalG.A.P.’s water add-on audit, SPRING, and highlights the company’s commitment to responsible water use. In order to obtain SPRING certification, it is necessary to demonstrate legality of water sources, best practices and continuous improvement in on-farm water management, as it has at six of its producer partners in the South American countries.