© Oranfrizer

Famag was established in 1992 as a family company specialising in trading in packaging. Market transformations, acquired knowledge, and extensive experience prompted Famag to produce its own packaging. Recently, Famag has created a reduced-weight NOVO-PACK™. It is a special mesh packaging for fruit and vegetables to address the changing preferences in the market. It was made possible by investing in research and technology. “Unit packaging will be getting smaller due to the demographics, the economy, and the variety of choice,” said Grzegorz Karaś, export manager at Famag. 

Despite the current global logistics problems, Japan’s fresh fruit imports were up 1.3% in March compared with the previous year, according to Japan's Ministry of Finance. The country imported almost 135,000 tons of fresh fruit in March 2020, despite rising prices. Japanese households purchased on average 5.61kg of fruit in March 2020, up 2.5% from the previous year. Meanwhile, expenditure increased 5.3% to US$27.

Not all fruits are seeing a positive effect of the lockdowns in many countries. Consumers appear to be choosing products with a longer shelf-life, which has significantly hit demand for strawberries across Europe at the peak of the season in the Mediterranean region. As a result, prices are falling as consumers switch to citrus, apples, and kiwifruit. There is currently a large volume of fruit available in Italy, Greece and Spain.

The Spanish fruit and vegetable industry is playing a leading role in attenuating the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak. Across Europe, demand has been rocketing for certain products, and, according to Paco Borrás, chairman of the Export Committee at Freshfel and former commercial director of Anecoop, fruit and vegetable sales in Spain are considerably higher than normal – probably due to their renowned health benefits.

The mystery of what gives the prized but foul-smelling Asian fruit durian its characteristic odour has finally ended. Researchers at Munich Technical University discovered that a rare amino acid called ethionine is the cause of the stench. Previous studies had pointed to a chemical compound called ethanethiol, without explaining how it was being produced by the fruit. The new study, published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, finds that, as a durian ripens, its ethionine content increases, releasing the smell.

John Nguyen, Sales Manager, Vina T&T, Vietnam © Yzza Ibrahim

Coconut, longan, mango, and dragon fruit ranks as the most demanded exotic fruits

With New Zealand’s kiwi harvest due to start soon, and run from early February to early April, a good crop is expected, according to the NZ Kiwiberry Grower Association. Thanks to favourable growing conditions, a good sized and good quality crop is anticipated. Export volume for this season is estimated at 240,000 kg, similar to the last campaign. The fruit is exported worldwide and enjoys great appreciation on the global stage. The main varieties grown in New Zealand are Tahi, Marju Red and Takaka.

Chilean cherries played a prominent part in the recent Chinese New Year celebrations, as red is the traditional colour of the festival and the peak sales period for Chilean cherries in China. The Cherry Committee of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) teamed up with food delivery service Ele.me to hold the Harvest Your Red Moment and Deliver Happiness Together 2020 Chilean Cherry x Ele.me Spring Shopping Festival Launch Ceremony.