The 2019/20 global apple crop is projected to be up 7% to 75.8 million tons, as China rebounds from last year’s frost-hit campaign, more than offsetting plummeting production in the EU, according to USDA/FAS data. Despite higher supplies, exports are estimated to be lower due to reduced shipments from the EU, Moldova, and Turkey. China’s production is expected to jump 24% to a near-record level of 41.0 million tons.
The global 2019/20 grape crop is projected to grow 4% to 23.4 million tons, thanks to rebounding China supplies, according to USDA/FAS data. However, exports are expected to shrink slightly as lower shipments from India and the US more than offset gains from China and Mexico. China’s output is predicted to climb 9% to 10.8 million tons, as vineyards recover from last year’s severe frost. Rebounding supplies are expected to drive exports to a record 360,000 tons, as higher shipments to the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Vietnam facilitate China’s continuing upward trend.
While many South-East Asian countries are currently banned from exporting vegetables to the EU, Cambodia has the opportunity to make the most of this time. This is the strategy outlined by the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries senior official Ngin Chhay, speaking to a press conference last Wednesday. Cambodia are in an advantageous position as Vietnam and Thailand currently have “red cards” issued against them by the EU which temporarily block their vegetable exports to the region.
As expected from a moderate crop, prices during the ongoing campaign are moving within ranges significantly above the average price. During recent weeks, EU demand has been at good levels and the average prices for April 2020 are 33% above the average for the last five years (they were 23% above average in March 2020).
The current Coronavirus pandemic appears to have had a relatively small impact on the EU’s 2019/20 harvest, coming as it did at the end of the campaign. The total crop is projected to reach 6.2 million tons this season, according to data released by the EU Commission. This volume represents a 5% drop from the previous campaign, due to smaller yields. In recent weeks, demand has risen across the world for both oranges and orange juice as consumers look for sources of vitamin C to remain healthy.
Croatia's Chamber of Agriculture has claimed that the country’s farmers owe huge amounts to the EU due to the misuse of funding set aside for organic agriculture. Total Croatia News reports that the Agricultural Ministry later denied all allegations, while admitting some "irregularities" existed in EU-back funding for organic farming which were quickly weeded out.
The European Union’s organic agriculture expanded by 6.0% in 2017 and by 7.6% in 2018, with area now surpassing 13.8 million ha, according to a report published by Agence Bio. Organic represented about 7.5% of the EU’s utilised agricultural area in 2018 (7.2% in 2017). There were 325,306 registered organic farms in 2018 (+4.9% compared to 2017).
Smurfit Kappa has launched a new portfolio of products made of corrugated cardboard called “Designed to help”, with the aim of tackling some of the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. These include dividers for work areas and health centres, beds for temporary hospitals and isolation spaces, or temporary furniture, including shelves and tables.
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