Imports and Exports
Peru’s onion season is off to a slow start, but quality is good and production is expected to increase over last season.
As U.S. sweet potato exports increase, The American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute is using special events, promotional activities and social media to tout the benefits of sweet potatoes worldwide.
Harvest Sensations, Los Angeles, Calif., has a redesigned website — https://www.harvestsensations.com/ —with an emphasis on visual elements and a blog-like format aimed at professional and home chefs.
Although some media are reporting of a possible shortage of avocados for Super Bowl festivities because of a fuel shortage in Mexico, importers say there’s no indication supplies are being affected.
Chilean grape production started slowly but picked up steadily this year.
Growers and importers of Mexican tomatoes and segments of the U.S. tomato industry continue to spar over a Department of Commerce decision to end an agreement that holds an anti-dumping investigation at bay.
Total U.S. tomato imports grew 9% in value and 4% in volume in 2018.
The Port of Savannah, Ga., has added East-West routes to its chilled produce business, with new services to Europe and Asia.
U.S. orange and tangerine exports suffered a 2% decline in value and a 14% drop in volume in 2018.
The Peruvian Avocado Commission has a new board of directors.
New Zealand exporter T&G Global Ltd. is reporting the country’s weather is setting the stage for a favorable apple season.
The U.S. slapped 25% tariffs on a number of fruit and vegetable imports from China, from cauliflower to garlic and certain berries.
Greenhouse grower NatureSweet is asking the Commerce Department for some exemptions on duties for its imported tomatoes grown in Mexico, on the basis they did not exist when those duties were originally set.
The Department of Commerce’s official notice on its termination of a tomato suspension agreement with Mexico is scheduled to be published May 13.
Mexican tomato growers have rejected the latest proposal from the Department of Commerce for a renewed tomato suspension agreement.
China’s latest round of tariff retaliation hit frozen fruits and vegetables but appeared to spare additional hikes on imported U.S. fresh produce.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rescheduled the vote on whether the National Mango Board programs should include frozen fruit.
As Honeybear Brands imports its first organic Honeycrisps from Chile, the company has achieved a milestone with year-round supplies of the popular variety.
The American cranberry industry is one of the biggest losers so far in the escalating trade dispute between the European Union and the U.S.
Freska Produce International LLC has obtained Fair Trade USA certification for growers in Oaxaca, Mexico, and is working to certify all of its growers in Mexico.
The summer citrus deal has changed over the past decade, emphasizing trends the industry is seeing in domestic production.
Last week U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at a Texas port of entry discovered a rare pest never before seen in the U.S. in a shipment of Persian limes.
HLB Specialties reports that papaya shipments from Brazil have resumed after being delayed for a about week and a half due to trucker strikes.
The U.S., which won a World Trade Organization ruling against Indonesia in 2017 concerning import restrictions on apples, grapes, potatoes, onions and other items, says the country has not changed its policies.
Importers report good volume and quality for Peruvian asparagus, with interest expected to tick up as production in numerous other regions finishes up.
As the global produce community comes together in Orlando at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit, let me rank the top ten reports from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service this year.
The Chilean fruit industry is assessing the damage to stone fruit, cherries, blueberries, kiwifruit and grapes after a Nov. 12 hailstorm.
U.S. exports of potatoes in the most recent quarter saw declines across the board, with the largest drop in fresh exports, in what Potatoes USA says reflects trade disputes with Mexico and China.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are seeking nominations for six trade advisory committees, including one for the fruit and vegetable industry.