Turkey is set to become a key player in Asian fruit and vegetable markets. The country is currently in advanced negotiations to secure access for its wide range of fresh produce to key markets such as China, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines, among others. Turkey’s Minister of Trade, Ruhsar Pekcan announced the acceleration in the country’s plan to diversify its fresh fruit and vegetable exports. Turkey currently is authorised to ship cherries to China and South Korea. Pekcan said that she soon expects China to authorise shipments of Turkish citrus, apples, grapes and pomegranate.

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.

South Africa’s 2019/20 orange crop is projected to grow by 1% to 1.6 million tons, according to CGA data. The increase is attributed to good rainfall in the main growing regions, the rise in area planted, better water management techniques by farmers, and new plantings of high yielding and late-maturing varieties.

Press Release

Weekly exports of premium pineapples from Panama will continue throughout the summer, despite the global pandemic.

La Dona Fruit is a leading producer and exporter of fresh golden pineapples and tropical fruits in Latin America, bringing customers great taste, quality and superior produce. Founded in 1977 by Edna Vergara, La Dona Fruit has grown from a one-acre family farm in the coastal lowlands of Panama to a thriving export business; having partnered with Colombia-headquartered agribusiness management firm Farmfolio in 2018.

New Zealand’s 2019/20 apple crop is projected to increase by 2.8% to 593,000 tons (source: FAS/Wellington),  due to an expanded harvested area and a good growing season, despite the impact of COVID-19 on harvesting and packing. The larger crop is set to boost the country’s apple exports for 2019/2020, which are forecast to hit a record 400,000 tons, up 2.3% on 2018/2019. This continues a promising trend, as apple exports in 2018/2019 rose 5.8% from 2017/2018. 

Chile’s table grape planted area in 2019/20 remained stable at 47,834 ha, as did production (835,000 tons) despite the country going through an 11-year drought period, which has intensified in MY2019/20. According to USDA estimates, Chile exports around 80% of all table grape production. Grape exports for the 2019/20 season are forecast to reach 657,000 tons, practically unchanged from 2018/19.

Ecuador’s banana shipments climbed 6.5% during the first four months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, reaching 135.7 million boxes. These figures come amidst a global pandemic that has hit Ecuador’s banana-growing regions particularly hard.